‘The University Has Coddled Students Too Long.’ Conservative Firebrand Roils Berkeley

The preparations for Ben Shapiro’s speech at the University of California, Berkeley, had been intense. In advance of the conservative’s appearance on Thursday, the school shut down a big block of the campus. By early evening, police were roaming the area by the dozens, kitted out with riot gear and driving armored cars. Helicopters hovered above. But by the time Shapiro’s speech let out around 9 p.m. local time, the night had gone without great tumult or physical injury reported by police – unlike several other run-ins the city has seen over the past year between extremists on the right and left. There was still pushback on the liberal campus: Several hundred people arrived to peacefully protest, and a much smaller group of students occupied the student union, linking arms and repeating chants such as “What kind of speech is free? Only white supremacy.” Berkeley police have arrested nine individuals, some for offenses such as having banned objects in the area near where the speech was being held. As with past events in the city, heated debates took place about what is free speech and what is hate speech and how college campuses should navigate the tense political climate. People in red “Make America Great Again” hats mingled tensely with people holding communist flags. Yet things were calm compared to previous clashes. Inside the venue on Thursday, Shapiro disavowed white supremacists and the alt right, characterizing that part...
Source: TIME.com: Top Science and Health Stories - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Uncategorized California Education Higher Education UC Berkeley Source Type: news