Free Republic

A substantial police presence both on the Berkeley campus and at a gathering in a downtown park kept hundreds of activists on both sides of the free-speech debate in line during protests Thursday. Hundreds of far-right protesters, some dressed in goggles, gas masks and knee pads, rallied in support of conservative speaker Ann Coulter in Martin Luther King Jr. Civic Center Park . Some at the rally were wearing combat gear, including military grade ballistic helmets and body armor. Dozens of police in riot gear stood by ready to crack down on violence as had been anticipated between provocateurs of...

The phrasing here skirts awfully close to suggesting right-wingers are complicit in the “anti-fascist” violence directed at them. If a provocateur like Coulter “throws herself into a volatile situation,” don’t be surprised if the locals are provoked in a “volatile” way, I guess.Charles Cooke anticipated this idea of “volatility” yesterday in summarizing the campus view of speech this way: “Your opinions are fighting words because I’ll riot if you express them.” [A]cross the country, conservatives like her are eagerly throwing themselves into volatile situations like the one in Berkeley, emboldened by a backlash over what many Americans see as...

BERKELEY — Hundreds of police patrolled UC Berkeley and a downtown park as counter demonstrations began Thursday after Ann Coulter canceled a speech on campus. As of 1 p.m., the university said there were two arrests. One person was arrested for carrying a knife on campus and a man was arrested for obstructing or delaying a police officer, wearing a mask and giving false identification to an officer. The International Socialist Organization called for members to meet at noon at the corner of Bancroft Way and Telegraph Avenue. That group claimed on its Facebook page that Coulter is a racist...

Milo's event was cancelled, and he is off the property. They have toppled barricades, smashed windows, a big fire, and are cheering and burning American flags. They are setting off firecrackers and fireworks. A tree caught on fire. They are of course protesting Trump and chanting, "No KKK, No Fascist USA, No Trump!" They have signs that say "Resist!" and "This is War!" The police asked them to leave, but they are sticking around, and the crowd is growing. They are cheering because they stopped Milo.