UC Berkeley community protests guest speaker Milo Yiannopoulos
Violent protests erupted at the University of California, Berkeley two hours before Breitbart editor Milo Yiannopolous was scheduled to speak, forcing the cancellation of the event. (Courtesy of Daniel Kim/The Daily Californian)
By Ryan Leou
Feb. 1, 2017 9:57 p.m.
Violent protests and property destruction forced the cancellation of a controversial conservative speaker event at the University of California, Berkeley on Wednesday night.
UC police cancelled the event at about 6 p.m. and escorted Milo Yiannopoulos, an editor for the website Breitbart, off campus after about 1,500 protesters gathered outside the Martin Luther King Jr. Student Union.
Some protesters outside the union set off fireworks, hammered windows and threw rocks and bricks, according to the Daily Californian.
UC Berkeley released a statement that said it regrets the unlawful actions of a few interfered with the exercise of First Amendment rights on a campus proud of its history and legacy as home of the Free Speech Movement.
“We condemn in the strongest possible terms the violence and unlawful behavior that was on display and deeply regret that those tactics will now overshadow the efforts to engage in legitimate and lawful protest against the performer’s presence and perspectives,” the university said.
Police locked down campus buildings and shot tear gas and rubber bullets into the crowd of people after it refused to disperse, according to the Daily Californian.
Last week, Yiannopoulos cancelled his scheduled appearance at UCLA for Thursday after Bruin Republicans said it could not meet his list of requirements.
