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2017 Berkeley protests
Protesters during the April 15 rally
DateFebruary 1, 2017–present
Location
Berkeley, California
MethodsProtesting, street fighting, vandalism,[1] assault[2]
StatusIntermittent
Parties
Casualties
InjuriesSeveral (February 1)
7 (March 4)
11 (April 15)
Arrested1 (February 1)
10 (March 4)
23 (April 15)

The 2017 Berkeley protests refer to a series of protests occurred in the city of Berkeley, California in the vicinity of University of California, Berkeley at a free speech rally. Violence has occurred predominately between anti-Trump protesters, some of whom were anarchists and other far-left radicals, and supporters of Donald Trump and the alt-right. The first event occurred on February 1 when Milo Yiannopoulos was scheduled to give a speech. The other two incidents, which occurred on March 4 and April 15, were pro-Trump rallies met with counter-protesters.

Timeline of protests

February 1

On February 1, Milo Yiannopoulos was scheduled to make a speech at the University of California, Berkeley at 8:00 pm. Over 1,500 people gathered to protest the event on the steps of Sproul Hall, with some violence occurring.[3] Prior to the event, more than 100 UC Berkeley faculty had signed a petition urging the university to cancel the event.[4]

According to the university, around 150 masked agitators came onto campus and interrupted the protest, setting fires, damaging property, throwing fireworks, attacking members of the crowd, and throwing rocks at the police.[5] These violent protesters included members of BAMN and Antifa who threw rocks at police, shattered windows, threw Molotov cocktails, and later continued to vandalize downtown Berkeley.[6] Among those assaulted were a Syrian Muslim in a suit who was pepper sprayed and hit with a rod by a protester dressed all in black who said "You look like a Nazi",[7] and a white woman who was pepper sprayed while being interviewed by a TV reporter.[8] Citing security concerns, the UC Police Department decided to cancel the event.[3][9] One person was arrested for failure to disperse, and there was an estimated $100,000 in damage.[10]

March 4, 2017 protest: Roughly 200 protesters, counter-protesters, and others in MLK Jr. Civic Center Park around 2:00 pm. The building in the background is the City Council Chambers.

March 4

See also: March 4 Trump

A pro-Donald Trump march in Berkeley on March 4 resulted in seven injuries and ten arrests after confrontations with counter-protesters. Police confiscated several potentially deadly items from attendees of the rally including baseball bats, bricks, metal pipes, 2x4s and a dagger.[11]

Some attending were identified as members of the Proud Boys, but prior to the event, Proud Boys leader Gavin McInnes disavowed any link to the march, tweeting: "#ProudBoys never agreed to be part of this march. I'm out".[12][13]

April 15

On April 16, several groups, including approximately 50 Oath Keepers, held a pro-Trump rally and were met by counter-protesters.[14] Planned speakers included Brittany Pettibone, Lauren Southern, Tim Treadstone, and others associated with right wing politics and free speech. [15][16]

The event was organized as a free-speech rally by the same person which organized the March 4 Trump event.[17][18]

At Martin Luther King Jr. Civic Center Park a "large number of fights" broke out smoke bombs and fireworks were thrown into the melee, and pepper spray was used in the crowd.[19][20] "Both groups threw rocks and sticks at each other and used a large trash bin as a battering ram as the crowd moved around the perimeter of the park."[19] Eleven people were injured, six of whom were hospitalized, including one person who was stabbed.[19] Police "seized a handful of cans of peppers spray, some knives, and dozens of sign and flag poles, skateboards, and other blunt objects" from members of the crowd.[20]

A Reuters reporter estimated that at least 500 and 1,000 people were in the park at the peak of the rally.[21] Various far-right activists in the crowd held up various antisemitic signs, including "Da Goyim Know,"[22][23] and some made Nazi salutes and used other neo-Nazi symbolism. [16][20]

During the event, Nathan Damigo—a 30-year-old Cal State Stanislaus student and the founder of the white supremacist group Identity Evropa—punched a 20-year-old woman in the face, then ran off into the crowd. The attack was captured on video and prompted calls for Damigo's arrest or expulsion.[24] Cal State Stanislaus stated that that they would investigate Damigo.[24]

Aftermath

Following the February 1 protest, a lawyer representing a local police union criticized the police administration for their "hands off" policy which prevented officers from preventing crime or making arrests. A police representative responded that they did not want to further escalate violence, and that the campus police were inexperienced in dealing with black bloc tactics.[25] According to Berkeley Police chief Margo Bennett, they were waiting for reinforcements to come from Oakland Police and the Alameda County Sheriff before dispersing the crowds.[26]

Following the February events, President Trump criticized the UC Berkeley on Twitter, asserting that it "does not allow free speech" and threatening to de-fund the university.[27][28] After the incident, Yiannopoulos' upcoming book, Dangerous, returned to number one for a few days on Amazon's "Best Sellers" list.[29][30] According to Yiannopoulos' Facebook post, he plans to return to Berkeley "hopefully within the next few months."[31]

After the April events, several news organizations noted that the fighting demonstrated an increasing use of violence between members of both the far-right and the far-left.[16]

On April 18, administrators at UC Berkeley canceled a planned April 27 appearance on the campus by Ann Coulter, citing safety concerns. Coulter tweeted on April 19 that she would be coming to Berkeley to speak on that date regardless.[32][33] On April 20, the University stated that they would host Coulter on May 2 at a "protected venue" that would be disclosed at a later date.[34] Coulter responded on Twitter that she would still be coming to speak on April 27, noting that UC Berkeley has no classes scheduled for the week of May 2.[35]

References

  1. ^ "Trump threatens U.C. Berkeley after protests stop far-right speech". Reuters. 2017-02-03. Retrieved 2017-04-23.
  2. ^ "'Black bloc' protests return for Trump era, leaving flames, broken windows from D.C. to Berkeley". Washington Post. Retrieved 2017-04-23.
  3. ^ a b "Milo Yiannopoulos event canceled after violence erupts". UC Berkeley News. 1 February 2017. Retrieved 2 February 2017.
  4. ^ A Free Speech Battle at the Birthplace of a Movement at Berkeley, New York Times, 2 February 2017.
  5. ^ Fuller, Thomas (2 February 2017). "A Free Speech Battle at the Birthplace of a Movement at Berkeley". The New York Times Co. Retrieved 2 February 2017.
  6. ^ "Chaos erupts, protesters shut down Yiannopolous events, banks in downtown vandalized". Berkeleyside. 2 February 2017. Retrieved 15 February 2017.
  7. ^ How Violence Undermined the Berkeley Protest, New York Times, 2 February 2017.
  8. ^ "Woman pepper sprayed by Berkeley protester". Fox 5. 2 February 2017. Retrieved 16 April 2017.
  9. ^ Mele, Christopher (1 February 2017). "Berkeley Cancels Milo Yiannopoulos Speech, and Donald Trump Tweets Outrage". The New York Times. Retrieved 2 February 2017.
  10. ^ Bodley, Michael (2 February 2017). "At Berkeley Yiannopoulos protest, $100,000 in damage, 1 arrest". SFGate. Retrieved 3 February 2017.
  11. ^ Wang, Amy B. "Pro-Trump rally in Berkeley turns violent as protesters clash with the president's supporters". The Washington Post. Retrieved April 15, 2017.
  12. ^ Ioannou, Filipa A. (2017-03-04). "Trump supporters planning to take to the streets of Berkeley". SFGate. Retrieved 2017-03-10.
  13. ^ Barmann, Jay (2017-03-05). "Pro-Trump Rally In Berkeley Turns Predictably Messy, 10 Arrested". SFist. Retrieved 2017-03-10.
  14. ^ St. John, Paige; Grad, Shelby (16 April 2017). "How Berkeley became epicenter of violent Trump clashes". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 17 April 2017.
  15. ^ "Arrests made as protesters clash at pro-Trump rally in Berkeley". SFGate. Retrieved 2017-04-16.
  16. ^ a b c Natasha Lennard (April 15, 2017). "The Violent Clashes In Berkeley Weren't 'Pro-Trump' Versus 'Anti-Trump'". Esquire.
  17. ^ "Free Speech Rally in Berkeley results in several injuries, 20 arrests". The Daily Californian. 15 April 2017. Retrieved 20 April 2017.
  18. ^ Ellis, Ralph; Marco, Tony (16 April 2017). "Trump supporters, opponents clash in Berkeley". CNN. Retrieved 17 April 2017.
  19. ^ a b c St. John, Paige (April 15, 2017). "Hundreds of Trump supporters and counter-protesters clash at Berkeley rally". Los Angeles Times.
  20. ^ a b c "20 arrested, 11 injured in Trump-related rallies in downtown Berkeley". Mercury News. April 16, 2017. {{cite news}}: Cite uses deprecated parameter |authors= (help)
  21. ^ Randewich, Noah. "Trump supporters, opponents clash in California park". Reuters. Retrieved April 15, 2017.
  22. ^ DC, Alan Yuhas Lauren Gambino in Washington (2017-04-15). "Arrests at violent Berkeley Trump protests while tax marches stay calm". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2017-04-17.
  23. ^ David Neiwert (April 17, 2017). "Far Right Descends on Berkeley For 'Free Speech' and Planned Violence". Hatewatch. Southern Poverty Law Center.
  24. ^ a b Branson-Potts, Hailey (2017-04-17). "Cal State Stanislaus to investigate white supremacist student who punched woman in Berkeley melee". Los Angeles Times. ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved 2017-04-17.
  25. ^ Berkeley Police Criticized For ‘Hands-Off’ Approach To Violent Demonstrators, CBS Sacramento, 7 February 2017.
  26. ^ Police criticized for lack of action during U.C. Berkeley protests, ABC 7, 2 February 2017.
  27. ^ Savransky, Rebecca (2 February 2017). "Trump threatens funding cut if UC Berkeley 'does not allow free speech'". TheHill. Retrieved 2 February 2017.
  28. ^ Rahim, Zamira (2 February 2017). "Trump Threatens to Yank U.C. Berkeley's Federal Funding Over Protests Against Milo Yiannopoulos". Time. Retrieved 2 February 2017.
  29. ^ "Milo Yiannopoulos' Upcoming Book Grabs Top Spot On Amazon's Best-Seller List". The Huffington Post. 3 February 2017. Retrieved 5 February 2017.
  30. ^ "Margaret Atwood's 'The Handmaid's Tale' Soars To Top Of Amazon Bestseller List". NPR.org. NPR. Retrieved 12 February 2017.
  31. ^ Sciacca, Annie. "Milo Yiannopoulos plans to return to Berkeley". Mercury News. Retrieved 12 February 2017.
  32. ^ Asimov, Nanette (April 19, 2017). "UC Berkeley orders cancellation of Ann Coulter speech". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved April 19, 2017.
  33. ^ "Ann Coulter appearance canceled over security concerns at UC Berkeley". The Guardian. April 19, 2017. Retrieved April 19, 2017.
  34. ^ Yuhas, Alan (April 20, 2017). "Ann Coulter event is back on after UC Berkeley finds 'protected venue'". The Guardian. Retrieved April 20, 2017.
  35. ^ Asimov, Nanette (April 20, 2017). "Ann Coulter rejects Cal offer to switch date of speech". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved April 20, 2017.
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