A parody video portraying President Donald Trump assaulting known political opponents and members of the media was shown at a conference held in Miami last week by American Priority. The video has since sparked outrage online, prompting discussion on free speech and the video’s potential incitement of violence. 

Initially from the 2014 film “Kingsman: The Secret Service,” the video depicts an edited President Trump among various news outlets and political opponents in a church. Upon shooting an altered Sen. Bernie Sanders in the head, fighting and killing ensues as he moves from person-to-person.  

Tweets condemning the video ranged from criticism of the President himself to his hostility towards the media having “inspired” this type of violence against them. 

White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham released a statement on Monday via Twitter, noting that while President Trump has yet to see the video, he “strongly condemns” it. 

Ever Vidaña, a member of the New Mexico State University College Republicans, said that although free speech is essential in order for a society to thrive, he is glad that the President denounced it. 

“As much as I dislike Obama, Vox, and other news sites or people, violence against those we don’t agree with is never healthy, even if it is just a video,” Vidaña said. 

American Priority, the organization that had hosted the conference, claimed in an official statement that the video had not been “approved, seen, or sanctioned” by organizers of the event.  

The organization also expressed distaste for the New York Times’ lack of reporting on other authorized events, including one that reportedly condemned “political violence.” 

The video was created by the YouTube account TheGeekzTeam, a self-proclaimed pro-Trump account dedicated to “pissing off liberals.” It has been available online for more than a year. 

According to the Washington Post, the outrage following the New York Times’ reporting of the video caused an increase in viewership for TheGeekzTeam. The channel, which typically receives around 600 views per day, was viewed more than 100,000 times on Monday. 

Those on Twitter that came to the video’s defense said that its contents were not to be taken seriously. Others called out the hypocrisy shown by both political parties in the creation and posting of violent images. 

While not commenting directly on the video’s contents, Fransisco Soto, a junior with a double-major in Journalism and Government, said that as a journalist he attempts not to put his political views into the work that he does. 

“Everyone is entitled to believe and follow whoever they like. It’s impossible not to feel anything when I see things like this, but all we can do is try and inform the public,” Soto said.