Controversial conservative commentator and Breitbart New editor Milo Yiannopoulos was forced to cancel a talk at California’s Berkeley University, after protesters hurled smoke bombs, broke windows and lit a bonfire. The university’s officials were prompted to put his talk off for safety concerns. The decision was made two hours before the appearance of Milo Yiannopoulos because a crowd of more than 1,500 had gathered outside the venue, the university said in a statement.
But officials said it was a smaller group of protesters dressed in black and in hooded sweatshirts that showed up as night fell to break windows with metal barricades, throw smoke bombs and flares and start a large bonfire outside the building with a diesel generator.
“This was a group of agitators who were masked up, throwing rocks, commercial grade fireworks and Molotov cocktails at officers,” said UC Berkeley Police Chief Margo Bennet. Prior to the burst of violence, hundreds of peaceful demonstrators carrying signs that read “Hate Speech Is Not Free Speech” had been protesting for hours. Yiannopoulos, a 32-year-old right-wing provocateur, is a vocal supporter of President Donald Trump and a self-proclaimed internet troll whose comments have been criticized as racist, misogynist, anti-Muslim and white supremacist. He was banned from Twitter after leading a harassment campaign against “Ghostbusters” actress Leslie Jones.
His visit to Berkeley was sponsored by the campus Republican club. The university has stressed it did not invite him and does not endorse his ideas but is committed to free speech and rejected calls to cancel the event.