Ben Shapiro: Amid hundreds of protesters and riot police, right-wing provocateur makes his appearance
In an unparalleled show of force, police from all 10 UC campuses donning riot gear set up barricades and shut down buildings to separate protesters from Zellerbach Hall, where podcaster
Shapiro's appearance on campus, which came just months after a speech by right-wing provocateur
Thursday's event was a test run for the university as it prepares for Yiannopoulos and other conservative speakers, including former White House chief strategist
"Certainly we have lessons learned," said the school's police chief,
Bennett declined to say how many officers were on campus or to discuss tactics, but she said police from all 10
Signs that the campus was prepared for protests and possible unrest included barriers on
"Berkeley has actually achieved building a wall before
Raphael Kadaris, organizer of a Refuse Fascism protest, called the perimeter "outrageous." His group had planned to protest on
The protest was mostly peaceful, but several confrontations were reported in the wake of Shapiro's speech. One woman was carted away after she reportedly provoked a group of anti-Trump demonstrators.
Police took at least nine people into custody, including a woman who appeared to spit on police. Officers arrested
Before the speech, police escorted a group of ticket holders, including outspoken Trump supporter Kyle "Based
The university expected to spend about
"Obviously, in many ways it's regrettable that the center of campus had to be closed off," he said, "but we can't turn a blind eye."
Shapiro addressed the cost during his speech, saying it was "due to antifa hard-left morons out there breaking windows. There's a pathetic new movement arising all over the country," he continued, "and that movement says speech is violent and must be treated as such."
The sidewalk in front of Zellerbach Hall was covered with chalk-written phrases such as "Your 'free speech' kills" and "Power to the people."
"It was pretty wild," Wilson said of his student years. "The feeling then was like this." He formed two fists with his hands and punched them together. Shapiro should be allowed to speak, Wilson continued, even if what he says is abhorrent.
Cal student
A number of school officials, including new Chancellor
After the university canceled the Yiannopoulos talk in February and halted a planned speech by conservative firebrand
Christ has made it one of her primary missions to reclaim the school's legacy as the birthplace of the
She had said Shapiro was welcome on campus but also tried to reassure students that the school would keep them safe. The university closed a number of buildings around Zellerbach Hall in the afternoon and created a security perimeter that only students with tickets to the event were able to pass.
The campus, some students said, felt militarized, and the
The roughly 1,000 tickets to Shapiro's speech sold out in about 45 minutes, Mogulof said, far faster than expected. "We have no idea who purchased those tickets," he said.
Shapiro, a 33-year-old orthodox Jew who graduated from
He rejected claims from critics he is a white supremacist and a fascist, stopping during the talk to point to the yarmulke on top of his head.
"I have been spending my entire career standing up to fascism," he said. "I am not a fascist."
The Berkeley College Republicans hosted Shapiro. The group has support from the
The group aims to bring conservative ideas to college campuses and counts Shapiro, an opponent of transgender rights and abortion rights who has pushed back at the notion of white privilege, among its most popular speakers.
Shapiro touched on a range of topics, from abortion to drug laws, but he spent the bulk of his time taking questions from students, some of whom identified as liberal. "Thank you for coming," he told them.
Students should be exposed to debate, he said, but thinks some at Berkeley, including professors, are intent on "creating a society of (expletives) where everything offends us." Regarding the protests, he said, "I think that's the beauty of America."
Mogulof said things went about as well as the university could have hoped and expected.
"There was a sense of relief and satisfaction the event was able to go forward without disruption," he said. "Those who chose to protest largely did so in a nonviolent way."
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