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WEST HOLLYWOOD, Calif. () — A West Hollywood couple is speaking out after an altercation between them and a self-described “MAGA influencer” went viral online.
It happened on Thursday, April 16, shortly after 9 p.m. in the 8600 block of Santa Monica Boulevard. It ended with one of the fathers arrested for vandalism and battery.
“Is this your guys’ son or daughter?” the influencer asks the couple as they hold their baby in the now-viral man-on-the-street-style video.
“Son,” Anthony Vulin replies.
“Awesome, and are you guys a couple?” the influencer, Ryley Niemi, asks.
“Yeah,” David Vulin replies.
“That’s awesome. Cool. So, have you ever heard about the statistics coming out that, uh, gay men are statistically much more likely to commit child molestation?” the influencer asks, before the conversation escalated into an argument. “Don’t you think it’s weird that you guys have a child but neither of you are a woman?
David and Anthony Vulin say they quickly realized they were being exploited for viral content.
“When someone inserts themself into a specific community with the intention of triggering people, it’s not freedom of expression, it’s an exploitation,” David said in an interview.
Niemi says his content focuses on a range of political topics, including transgender people, immigration, abortion, gun control and other issues.
“I do all sorts of things, just like Charlie Kirk did across college campuses. I also do street interviews, which is why this incident happened in the first place,” Niemi said. “They got very upset. They pushed me and shoved me multiple times.”
Niemi says David eventually hit him and broke his camera.
The father was arrested that night. His lawyer says the couple was deliberately targeted.
Meanwhile, both parties have set up GoFundMe pages.
The Vulins are raising funds to pay for their legal representation. Niemi is asking for donations to replace his camera and hire security.
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