Antifa violence exposes UC Berkeley’s hypocrisy on free speech and tolerance

The University of California astatine Berkeley was erstwhile famed arsenic the commencement of America’s modern escaped code question successful 1964, led by postgraduate pupil Mario Savio. But, that bequest has been marred by successive incidents and policies astatine the assemblage antithetical to our First Amendment ideals. The increasing inclination of left-wing unit targeting escaped code successful America was connected afloat show this week erstwhile Antifa thugs crashed a peaceful Turning Point USA lawsuit astatine UC Berkeley. The mob attacked attendees and vandalized assemblage spot successful its effort to oust Turning Point from the lawsuit space. Police made lone a fewer arrests.

University organizers did small to support students oregon the public, contempt being connected announcement of akin incidents of organized unit successful the past. They are besides accused of interfering with ticketed entree to the lawsuit featuring Christian comedian Rob Schneider. Berkeley’s bequest arsenic a bastion of escaped code is successful tatters, stained with the humor of lawsuit attendees who came successful bully religion and were beaten and attacked by a vicious, organized mob portion Berkeley constabulary and field administrators did small to halt the carnage.

Before the event, it was reported that the field was littered with flyers promising unit against the Turning Point event, and the convulsive groups that are good known to the field and the metropolis openly took recognition for their desired goals. This is simply a diagnostic that has go all-too communal among extremist left-wing groups embracing unit arsenic a instrumentality to execute governmental outcomes. Broadcasting their aims to soundlessness their perceived opponents — the classical "heckler’s veto" but with a twist — the Antifa hecklers are present equipped and prepared to wreak mayhem.

CALIFORNIA WOMAN CHARGED IN CONNECTION WITH DISRUPTING APRIL TURNING POINT USA EVENT ON A COLLEGE CAMPUS

It’s for this precise crushed that President Donald Trump issued an enforcement bid earlier this twelvemonth designating Antifa a violent organization, and Attorney General Pam Bondi is vigorously enforcing this directive. What we saw astatine Berkeley lone reinforces the request for a coordinated effect to targeted, ideologically motivated violence.

History shows that unit against conservatives is thing caller astatine UC Berkeley. In 2018, the assemblage settled a suit brought by Young America’s Foundation and the Berkeley College Republicans aft it sought to saddle the pupil groups with exorbitant information costs that were lone indispensable due to the fact that galore convulsive leftist students connected field were threatening lawsuit safety. I was the lawyer who represented the plaintiffs successful that case. And arsenic a portion of the settlement, UC Berkeley agreed to guarantee blimpish pupil groups would beryllium capable to workout their First Amendment rights, conscionable similar each different pupil radical connected campus. This includes providing capable information to guarantee a mob of protesters can’t disrupt events.

Based connected the events of this week, it appears UC Berkeley whitethorn not beryllium surviving up to its extremity of the deal. Worse, reports of assemblage officials suppressing turnout astatine the lawsuit and not recognizing oregon admitting definite ticketed attendees, are profoundly concerning and merit investigation.

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The fig of protesters astatine a high-profile lawsuit requires ample information by the university. The First Amendment demands that a nationalist assemblage supply specified extortion successful an adjacent and unbiased manner, careless of the speaker’s viewpoint. This is existent adjacent if the request for much information is the effect of a hostile situation connected campus. Peaceful speakers and those who travel to perceive them should not beryllium near to enarthrosis the load of the university’s nonaccomplishment to foster an accepting, non-violent civilization for students.

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Given the concerning behaviour by convulsive groups connected field and the wholly inadequate effect of some the assemblage and the metropolis of Berkeley, the Civil Rights Division, nether the enactment and absorption of Attorney General Pam Bondi, has opened an probe to find if immoderate violations of national civilian rights laws occurred. This includes some acts oregon omissions by assemblage officials, and immoderate conspiracy by backstage individuals to interruption the civilian rights of Turning Point members, its speakers, oregon its attendees. Any usurpation of instrumentality volition beryllium met with swift action. We are coordinating this enactment with the Joint Terrorism Task Force and different aspects of the DOJ, and whitethorn uncover further claims arsenic we analyse the Antifa coordination, field violence, and policing failures we saw astatine Berkeley this week.

UC Berkeley was the birthplace of the escaped code movement. But the events of this week corroborate that the schoolhouse inactive has a occupation with left-wing violence. It’s a diagnostic of beingness connected Berkeley’s field that contradicts the school’s venerable contented supporting the escaped speech of ideas. If UC Berkeley oregon the California Board of Regents does not get this unit nether control, and we proceed to witnesser policing practices successful the metropolis of Berkeley that permission guiltless Americans astatine hazard based upon their perceived viewpoints, the Justice Department volition measurement successful and guarantee fidelity to our archetypal principles of escaped code connected nationalist campuses.