The scene at one of California’s top universities last night was a familiar one: smashed windows, smoke bombs, and private property set ablaze. By 9 p.m. police were already receiving reports of injuries and the school had been placed on lockdown.
The demonstrations at UC Berkeley began early in the evening over a planned event featuring Breitbart writer and avid Donald Trump supporter Milo Yiannopoulos, who has been described as a poster child for the Alt-right movement. Yiannapolous was going to speak about "sanctuary campuses" that have vowed to protect students in the country illegally. Instsead the event was cancelled, with Yiannopoulos forced to leave, prompting this statement from the Berkeley College Republicans:
“The Free Speech Movement is dead. Today, the Berkeley College Republicans’ constitutional right to free speech was silenced by criminals and thugs seeking to cancel Milo Yiannopoulos’ tour. Their success is a defeat for civilized society and the free exchange of ideas on college campuses across America. We would like to thank UCPD and the university administration for doing all they could to ensure the safety of everyone involved. It is tragic that the birthplace of the Free Speech Movement is also its final resting place.”
The disruption of conservative and right-wing speakers on college campuses has become increasingly common. Student and faculty backlash aslo forced the cancellation of a planned speech by conservative author Ben Shapiro at Cal State Los Angeles last year. Shapiro was mid-speech when police had to intervene and escort him for his own safety. Michael Antonovich, a CSULA alumnus and then L.A.’s 5th District supervisor, criticized the school for its handling of the incident.
Authorities have confirmed that classes will resume at UC Berkeley today. Mayor Jesse Areguin issued a statement via Twitter, denouncing the violence. Two hours earlier, referring to the planned event, he tweeted that the use of speech to promote bigotry was "unacceptable" and that such speech was unwelcome in the Berkeley community.
Trump too has weighed in via Twitter.
If U.C. Berkeley does not allow free speech and practices violence on innocent people with a different point of view - NO FEDERAL FUNDS?
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 2, 2017
This could get interesting.
Read a timeline of last night’s events here. For a primer on who Milo Yiannopoulos is, where the University stands, and what a federal funding cut could mean for UC Berkeley, be sure to check to out this article at the L.A. Times.