On Wednesday night, an estimated 1,000-plus people showed up to protest a speech from conservative firebrand Ann Coulter at UC Berkeley’s Wheeler Hall. Notably, many of those “protesting” the speech had the express goal of shutting down the speech, as opposed to just voicing their differing views.
At one point during the raucous protesting, a young female student trying to enter the speech was allegedly physically assaulted and harassed by a mob of left-wingers. One protester, posing as an event organizer, also stole the young lady’s ticket to the speech, according to journalist Andy Ngo.
“Go home! Go home! Go home!” the left-wing protesters shouted, as disturbing video footage of the incident shows.
A voice can then be heard asking the student if they could please see her ticket. After the girl cooperates and hands over her ticket, to a person she seemingly believes is an event coordinator, the left-wing protesters break out in piercing screams, cheers, and laughter over their successful trick.
The young woman is also repeatedly shoved by both male and female protesters.
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Left-wing protesters at @UCBerkeley block a woman from entering Wheeler Hall for the @AnnCoulter event. A protester then pretends to be with the event organizers in order to steal the woman’s ticket.
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In another video, the same young girl is shoved and screamed at further. One female left-wing protester yells: “Get the f*** out of here, b****!”
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“Get the f— out of here, bitch!” Far-left protesters block and scream at woman attempting to get to Wheeler Hall for the @AnnCoulter event. #antifa
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Coulter commented on the assault via Twitter, captioning Ngo’s tweet: “They hate the Coulter ticket holder because she’s pretty and has long blonde hair.”
They hate the Coulter ticket holder because she's pretty and has long blonde hair. twitter.com/MrAndyNgo/stat…
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Additional reporting from Ngo shows anti-Coulter protesters forming “a human wall with linked arms to block others from entering” the speech.
(If you’re struck right now by the irony of protesters who take issue with Coulter’s immigration stances forming a human wall and shouted “go home” to others, you are not alone.)
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Left-wing protesters at @UCBerkeley form a human wall with linked arms to block others from entering the @AnnCoulter speech earlier tonight.
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A protester waving a transgender flag joins a chorus of others shouting “f*** you” to officers manning the event, video shows.
“Far-left protesters curse expletives at police who guarded Wheeler Hall at [UC Berkeley] where [Ann Coulter] spoke. The protesters also prevented some from attending the event by forming a wall. #antifa,” Ngo captioned the video tweet.
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Far-left protesters curse expletives at police who guarded Wheeler Hall at @UCBerkeley where @AnnCoulter spoke. The protesters also prevented some from attending the event by forming a wall. #antifa
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“In addition to far-left student protesters, outsider agitators with antifa groups By Any Means Necessary and Refuse Fascism amassed at [UC Berkeley] to prevent people from seeing [Ann Coulter] speak,” the journalist wrote in a subsequent video tweet.
In addition to far-left student protesters, outsider agitators with antifa groups By Any Means Necessary and Refuse Fascism amassed at @UCBerkeley to prevent people from seeing @AnnCoulter speak.
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“Coulter’s speech, hosted by the Berkeley College Republicans, or BCR, was titled ‘Adios, America!’ after her 2015 book on U.S. immigration policy,” The Daily Californian reported. “The event comes two years after Coulter previously withdrew from her campus speech because of safety concerns.”
“Campus junior Abel De La Cruz, an organizer with By Any Means Necessary, or BAMN, said they planned to protest and shut down Coulter’s speech because her language allegedly ‘incites violence against communities of color,'” the outlet noted. “Students and members of the Berkeley community began gathering outside of Wheeler Hall by 4 p.m., holding signs that read ‘shut down Coulter,’ ‘shut down the concentration camps now’ and ‘Trump must go by any means necessary,’ among other things. About 6:15 p.m., an outline of Adolf Hitler was seen projected on the Campanile.”
According to the UC Berkeley Police, “multiple masked protesters” were “arrested” outside Coulter’s speech.
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