Groups sue UC Berkeley over conservative speaker's talk

LOS ANGELES - Two conservative groups filed a lawsuit on Monday against the University of California at Berkeley claiming that a decision to cancel an appearance by the firebrand pundit Ann Coulter violated their right to free speech.

The Berkeley College Republicans and Young America's Foundation, which had invited Coulter to speak on April 27, accused the university of seeking to silence conservative viewpoints and stifle political discourse at the famously progressive campus by imposing unreasonable demands on events involving certain "high-profile" speakers.

"Defendants' discriminatory imposition of curfew and venue restrictions has resulted in the cancellation of two speaking engagements featuring prominent conservative speakers in the month of April, 2017," reads the lawsuit filed in federal court in San Francisco.

Apart from Coulter, the lawsuit said a scheduled appearance by conservative writer David Horowitz on April 12 also was cancelled after the university imposed restrictions on the time and place.

University officials have insisted that Coulter's scheduled appearance at Berkeley to discuss illegal immigration was scrapped because of security concerns after several recent protests in the city turned violent.

Following a firestorm over the decision, the school offered a new venue and date -- May 2 -- which were rejected by the right-wing commentator who vowed to appear at Berkeley this Thursday as planned.

The lawsuit said that the new proposed date in May falls during a period known as a "dead week," when no classes are held and fewer students are on campus due to final exams the following week.

It added that while heavy restrictions were being imposed on conservative speakers, other figures addressing the same contentious topic as Coulter had freely spoken at the school in recent weeks.

They include former Mexican leader Vicente Fox and Maria Echaveste, a former advisor to ex-president Bill Clinton.

- Free speech debate -

"It is unfortunate that the very school that is considered the 'birthplace of the Free Speech Movement' is now leading the charge to censor thoughts, ideas, and debate," said Ron Robinson, president of Young America's Foundation.

The university said in a statement on Monday that it was committed to allowing speakers from "all political viewpoints" to appear at Berkeley and that the decision to scrap Coulter's April 27 appearance was motivated by security concerns and not politics.

"UC Berkeley has been working to accommodate a mutually agreeable time for Ms. Coulter’s visit – which has not yet been scheduled – and remains committed to doing so," the statement said. "The campus seeks to ensure that all members of the Berkeley and larger community – including Ms. Coulter herself – remain safe during such an event."

The cancellation of Coulter's talk came days after opponents and supporters of President Donald Trump clashed in the city.

It also followed the cancellation in February of a planned speech at the university by right-wing provocateur and former Brietbart editor Milo Yiannopoulos, after violent protests.

University officials said they had learned that some of the groups that took part in recent clashes planned to target Coulter's appearance.

They said security concerns mounted after posters appeared on the walls of campus buildings threatening disruptions.

Observers say the legal brouhaha with Coulter will test the university's legacy as a champion of free speech.

"Her critics would have done well to deny her attention by treating her scheduled appearance with the ambivalent yawn every provocateur most dreads," The Atlantic online magazine said.

"Instead, they began playing into her hands, situating her appearance in a paradigm where free speech is cast as being in conflict with anti-racism -- a wrongheaded frame anathema to civil-rights heroes and marginalized protesters the world over."

jz/mdl

source: news.abs-cbn.com

In day of pro-Trump rallies, California march turns violent

BERKELEY, CALIF./LANSING, MICH. - Supporters of Donald Trump clashed with counter-protesters at a rally in the famously left-leaning city of Berkeley, California, on a day of mostly peaceful gatherings in support of the US president across the country.

At a park in Berkeley, across the bay from San Francisco, protesters from both sides struck one another over the head with wooden sticks and Trump supporters fired pepper spray as police in riot gear stood at a distance.

Some in the pro-Trump crowd, holding American flags, faced off against black-clad opponents. An elderly Trump supporter was struck in the head and kicked on the ground.

Organizers of the so-called Spirit of America rallies in at least 28 the country's 50 states had said they expected smaller turn-outs than the huge crowds of anti-Trump protesters that clogged the streets of Washington and other cities the day after the Republican's inauguration on Jan. 20.

"There are a lot of angry groups protesting and we thought it was important to show our support," said Peter Boykin, president of Gays for Trump, who helped organize Saturday's rally in Washington.

In many towns and cities, the rallies did not draw more than a few hundred people. At some, supporters of the president were at risk of being outnumbered by small groups of anti-Trump protesters who gathered to shout against the rallies.

In Berkeley, the total crowd of both supporters and detractors numbered 200 to 300 people, police spokesman Byron White said. Three people were injured in the clash, including one who had teeth knocked out, and police made five arrests.

One Trump supporter who took part in the violence came equipped with a baton, a gas mask and a shield emblazoned with the American flag.

White said police did break up fights between the two sides.

"We've made a number of arrests, it's one of those things where we monitor the situation and take action as necessary," he said.

The violence comes a month after mask-wearing protesters at the University of California, Berkeley, shut down a planned speech by a provocative far-right commentator by lighting fires and smashing windows.

On Saturday, smaller skirmishes broke out in other parts of the country.

In Minnesota, 400 Trump supporters packed the state capitol rotunda in St. Paul and were met by a smaller group of counter-demonstrators, according to the Star Tribune. Scuffles erupted and six counter-protesters were arrested, the newspaper reported.

In Nashville, Tennessee, Trump supporters and counter-protesters cursed at each other and occasionally made physical contact, but state troopers broke up the fighting, according to the city's public radio station.

Most rallies appeared to take place without any disruption or violence, like one outside the Michigan State Capitol in Lansing.

"How can anyone be disappointed with bringing back jobs? And he promised he would secure our borders, and that's exactly what he's doing," said Meshawn Maddock, one of the organizers of the rally which drew about 200 people.

Brandon Blanchard, 24, among a small group of anti-Trump protesters, said he had come in support of immigrants, Muslims and transgender people, groups that have been negatively targeted by Trump's rhetoric and policies.

"I feel that every American that voted for Trump has been deceived," Blanchard said.

More than 200 supporters of the president rallied in downtown San Diego.

"After this, I think people will take the hint," said former US Marine David Moore, 42, a participant in the rally. "It’s okay to voice support for the president and the country."

In Palm Beach, Florida, where Trump is staying this weekend at his Mar-a-Lago resort, the president's motorcade stopped and Trump stepped outside his car to wave at a crowd of dozens of supporters. A smaller group of protesters stood across the street.

In New York, about 200 people demonstrated their support for the president in front of Trump Tower in midtown Manhattan. In Washington, about 150 people marched from the Washington Monument to Lafayette Square in front of the White House to show their support for the president.

(Additional reporting by Ned Randolph in San Diego, Melissa Fares in Palm Beach, Florida, and Jonathan Allen in New York; Writing and additional reporting by Alex Dobuzinskis; Editing by Dan Grebler and Mary Milliken)

source: news.abs-cbn.com