There’s been a series of protests and counter protests in Berkeley, some stay peaceful like the one on April 27, while others turn into violent riots, like the one on in mid-April.
On April 15, an “anti-fascist group,” disrupted a free speech rally. Antifa protestors wore masks and broke through and trampled the orange barricade used as security for the rally.
This led to violence between those at the rally and Antifa protesters.
Explosives were seen being thrown as well as property was damaged. The protest-turned-riot soon was in the streets.
Video captured by Luke Rudkowski of “We Are Change” made its way into the news cycle. The video contained a woman being punched by a man.
The man is allegedly part of the identitarian group known as Identity Evropa, a white nationalist organization.
The woman who was punched was also interviewed by an independent journalist by the name of Tim Pool. In the interview Pool asked about the explosives being thrown and whether she condemned them or not to which the woman responded that the “revolution is difficult” and that it is “situational.”
Before going to the protest the woman’s Twitter feed showed that she wanted to gather a “100 Nazi scalps.”
Each side was made up of a variety of groups.
The rally was filled with Trump supporters, moderates, liberals, conservatives and organizations like Identity Evropa. While the protestor side included organizations like Antifa, By Any Means Necessary and others across the political spectrum.
The protest turned violent was at the fault of those throwing fireworks into the crowd as well as those whom committed acts of violence.
In contrast the protest and counter protest on April 27 was peaceful. A free speech rally was held in order to protest Berkeley’s decline of Ann Coulter’s speech at the university.
There was a counter protest against the protestors which police separated in order to keep the peace.
Constructive dialogue ensued between both sides, as views were discussed peacefully.
Davondre Ashley, a student on campus who might be interested in transferring to the university, stated you “can’t be mad when someone agrees or disagrees” when asked about the protests. Ashley also stated that the protests taking place “doesn’t discourage” him from going as there is “a little bit of good, a little bit of bad.”
So Her said the school can’t be judged by the protests “just because you see the bad side.”
When asked about Ann Coulter being denied to speak at the university Her said: “I don’t care much about it.”
The protests don’t seem to have discouraged the prospective students whom might want to go to Berkeley when they transfer.