By Maggie Lillis, Lindsay Machak and Kris Turner
The State News

The violent clash between campus conservatives and protesters at a discussion about illegal immigration Thursday drew national attention during the weekend.

Kyle Bristow, chairman of the Young Americans for Freedom, and Jeff Wiggins, chairman of the MSU College Republicans, appeared on Fox News Channel's The O'Reilly Factor on Friday to describe Colorado Republican congressman Tom Tancredo's speech at the MSU College of Law.

Protesters appeared before the congressman was scheduled to speak, and a fire alarm was pulled, forcing about 200 people to leave the building. Physical and verbal confrontations between the groups and protesters followed outside. A second fire alarm was pulled when students entered the building again and Tancredo began to speak.

Although no charges have been issued against any party involved in the incident, police filed two reports regarding the event — one public peace violation outlining general event information and a second about a 19-year-old student whose camera was broken.

"They said (Tancredo) is a racist and not welcome at Michigan State, and they have a right to speak over him," Bristow said of protesters on The O'Reilly Factor. "Throughout the event, they were extremely hostile toward us. A lot of them were MSU students, however, we don't know them by name."

Bristow's account of the incident was inaccurate and slanted, said José Villágran, an interdisciplinary studies in social science and pre-law senior and protester at the event.

"Bristow was yelling derogatory terms at Chicano students, and after that they reacted to what he was saying," Villágran said.

Villágran said he was near Bristow when he insulted the Chicano students and said Bristow failed to mention on the Fox News Channel how aggressive he was during the event.

The Fox News Channel did not interview any of the protesters.

"He's saying it's OK to make fun of something that is so detrimental to a group of people," Vill?gran said. "He has no right to make fun of our roots in history."

Political science senior Mike Wolin, who attended on behalf of YAF, said one woman knocked his Canon digital camera out of his hand and another kicked it against a brick pillar before running toward Shaw Hall.

"It no longer works — it'll turn on, but no longer focuses," Wolin said. "We knew there would be confrontation, but I don't think I was expecting them to physically destroy my $200 camera that I just got a year ago."

Shortly after the incident near Shaw Hall, an officer was able to make contact with the woman, who was identified as a 23-year-old Grand Rapids resident not affiliated with the university, said MSU police Sgt. Florene McGlothian-Taylor.

McGlothian-Taylor said the suspect was not processed at the department or taken to jail, and she declined to disclose the woman's name because she hasn't been arraigned.

Wolin said Sunday he spoke with an officer at the event about the camera but didn't plan on pursuing further legal action.

He also said he was one of three group members whose car tires were slashed as they ate dinner Thursday night at Buffalo Wild Wings, 360 Albert Ave. As of Sunday night, there were no East Lansing police reports detailing the incident.

The violent reaction from the protesters was surprising, Wiggins said on The O'Reilly Factor. Protesters say many of the YAF members and MSU College Republicans were instigating violence and being aggressive toward them.

Bristow said on The O'Reilly Factor that he assisted a pregnant woman who was being threatened by the crowd.

"At one time, they pushed around a lady who was seven months pregnant," he said on the show. "I helped her out; I got her out of there."

Villágran saw it differently.

"The woman who was pregnant was not hit — she pushed one of us," he said. "Bristow said we assaulted a seven-months-pregnant woman, which is not true."

The pregnant woman, Angela Banister, told The State News that Bristow was assisting her.

A report detailing the incident in which Bristow alleged he was kicked and spat on was not compiled by police as of Sunday. Bristow said Sunday when he identifies his assailant, he will file his own report.

The MSU College Republicans and YAF members behaved themselves during the event, Bristow said.

"We did not instigate anything whatsoever," he said.