Ohio is once again at the center of a campus firestorm after a video published by The Rooster ignited fierce debate across social media, with one blunt refrain echoing from Instagram to Reddit: “This is assault.”
The footage, captured Monday inside Ohio State University’s Smith Laboratory, shows Assistant Professor Luke Perez physically confronting a cameraman who was attempting to ask Vice President E. Gordon Gee a question about student loan debt. The confrontation unfolded after Gee had already participated in an on-camera discussion with The Rooster about topics ranging from the Dr. Richard Strauss scandal to Jeffrey Epstein’s financial ties to the university.
According to The Rooster, Perez objected to being filmed and then inserted himself between Gee and the independent documentarian before striking the cameraman and knocking him and his equipment to the ground. Perez has reportedly claimed self-defense. Ohio State later confirmed he was placed on administrative leave pending investigation.
Online, many Ohioans were unmoved by that explanation.
On Instagram, the reaction was unforgiving. “Did you call the police? That was assault,” one user wrote. Another declared, “He should be arrested and charged with battery as he physically attacked this person!” Others demanded termination, tagging the university directly: “FIRE THIS MAN.”
Some commenters focused on what they viewed as hypocrisy. The incident occurred at the university’s Salmon P. Chase Center for Intellectual Diversity and Free Speech. “This is a professor at the right-wing Salmon P. Chase Institute at Ohio State which claims to support ‘free speech,’” one user noted pointedly.
Frustration also extended to campus police. After The Rooster reported that unnamed parties were being investigated for disorderly conduct and trespassing following the incident, a commenter wrote, “Hilariously, Ohio State is currently investigating the journalist for ‘taunting.’” Another added, “If a student did this on tape they’d be arrested immediately.”
The debate quickly spread to Reddit’s Columbus community, where one commenter joked: “Perez decides he’s done being a normal person and attacks a stranger.” Another speculated about motive, writing, “It feels like Perez is a paid enforcer. Making sure Gee doesn’t have to answer tough questions.”
Another questioned procedural decisions: “Why did you file the assault with campus police instead of the city police?” That inquiry prompted a response noting that campus police maintain primary jurisdiction over university grounds.
Still, the dominant tone across platforms has been outrage, mixed with disbelief that such a confrontation occurred in a building associated with intellectual exchange.
As investigations continue, Ohio State faces mounting public scrutiny over the altercation itself and how it handles the aftermath.
