UC BERKELEY – Officers arrested several people Monday night at UC Berkeley as Turning Point USA paid its first visit to a California college campus since the killing of co-founder Charlie Kirk.
Two people were detained following a fight outside Zellerbach Hall, where the “American Comeback Tour” event was held. One person, who was wearing a red shirt emblazoned with the word “freedom,” had a bloodied face.
Officers arrested a third person who got past the barricades separating a crowd of protesters from the venue.
The crowd, numbering in the hundreds, expressed its opposition to the event through signs and chants, as well as by hurling several glass containers filled with a blue substance. The containers sent event attendees scurrying toward the entrance to the hall.
Someone also threw a rock, which struck the plastic face shield of a helmeted officer.
The event is Turning Point USA’s first at a college campus in the state since Kirk was fatally shot on Sept. 10. Kirk’s killing has intensified concerns about political violence and renewed debate over how universities balance security and free speech.
The Bay Area News Group requested credentials to cover the event, but a last-minute discrepancy led to a reporter and photographer being barred from entering the venue.
Brynn Pannier, 18, drove from Davis with friends to attend the event. She was standing near the entrance to the hall when containers started sailing through the air.
“That was really scary,” she said. “I have anxiety and coming to something like this is hard for me. I just felt scared. I felt nervous. Things were being thrown you know and I lost my friends.”
Security preparations for the event involved bringing in officers from neighboring agencies and across the UC system, according to UC Berkeley spokesperson Dan Mogulof.
“We have an unwavering commitment to supporting any and every student group who wishes to meet on campus,” he said. “It doesn’t matter their perspectives. Our responsibility is to ensure they provide the resources necessary to keep people safe.”
Mogulof did not have any information about the three people who were arrested Monday.
For Cal junior and campus protest regular Anika Yadav, the size of the police presence was surprising.
“It’s crazy to see the amount of police force out here,” she said. “It’s shocking to see this.”
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