Turning Point USA Event at Berkeley Erupts in Chaos as Violent Left-Wing Protesters Disrupt Charlie Kirk Acolytes

The final stop of a Turning Point USA national tour at UC Berkeley ended in violence Monday evening as hundreds of protesters clashed with the police officers leading to numerous confrontations and arrests.The event, featuring comedian Rob Schneider and author Frank Turek, took place two months to the day after TPUSA founder Charlie Kirk was assassinated at an event at Utah Valley University. A total of five individuals were arrested at Berkeley after altercations with police and other protesters, and another four were arrested on campus earlier in the day on charges of felony vandalism for attempting to hang an anti-Turning Point art installation, according to the Daily Californian.Following violent scuffles before the event’s start, multiple arrests were made. In one instance, a fight between a protester and a TPUSA supporter resulted in the supporter sustaining visible injuries to the face.“When President Trump talks about the people who are poisoning the blood of our country and the people of vermin, these are the people he’s talking about,” College Republicans of America’s president, Martin Bertao, said to the newspaper.A UCLA student and member of activist group By Any Means Necessary, Jose Lagos, claimed that TPUSA’s choice of UC Berkeley as the final stop of their tour was deliberate.“They know that this is a really important center of the defense of progress in America, not just for California and the Bay Area,” he said. “They are testing the waters here and we got to make it clear that we’re strong in our defense of immigrants, of minorities, of LGBTQ+ rights, and that we stand against Trump’s fascist program.”Demonstrations against the TPUSA event started Monday around 4 p.m. between Eshleman Hall and the Cal Student Store on the UC Berkeley campus. Protesters voiced their opposition by chanting, “1, 2, 3, 4, Turning Point no more” and displayed signs with messages like “Bears bash fascists,” referencing the school’s mascot, and “TPUSA — turn around and go home.”The protesters were met by around 300 police officers from the UCPD, the Berkeley Police Department, the United States Coast Guard, the San Francisco Sheriff’s Office, as well as private security forces.“The crowd directed chants at these officers, specifically shouting “UCPD, KKK, IOF they’re all the same” and “no justice, no peace, f— these racist ass police,” to officers in riot gear positioned by a barricade blocking Lower Sproul Plaza.Outside the event, before the fracas broke out, a car reportedly backfired on a nearby road, causing the crowd to panic and run for cover after hearing the loud gunshot-like noises.“It was a definite provocation,” UC senior Chase Goldberg said to the Daily Californian. “Some organizers said, ‘That’s a fear tactic, don’t panic.’ They were doing burnouts and cracking their engine like a gun.”

Turning Point USA Event at Berkeley Erupts in Chaos as Violent Left-Wing Protesters Disrupt Charlie Kirk Acolytes

Turning Point USA Event at Berkeley Erupts in Chaos as Violent Left-Wing Protesters Disrupt Charlie Kirk Acolytes

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