BERKELEY, Calif. (AP) – Ann Coulter did not turn up in Berkeley where hundreds held a raucous but largely peaceful demonstration in her absence and lamented what they called the latest blow to free speech in the home of America’s free speech movement.
The conservative pundit’s canceled appearance at the University of California, Berkeley drew hundreds of her supporters to a downtown park Thursday, many of them dressed in flak jackets, ballistic helmets adorned with pro-Donald Trump stickers and other protective gear in anticipation of violence.
But there were no major confrontations between Coulter’s supporters and opponents, largely because of a significant police presence and the fact that members of an extremist left-wing group did not show up to provoke clashes.
Coulter had publicly floated the idea of making a controversial visit to Berkeley despite the cancellation, but did not show.
Her supporters and students on the UC Berkeley campus, many of whom expressed distaste for Coulter’s political views, voiced frustration that she didn’t get to speak and that the university’s reputation as a bastion of tolerance was suffering. Coulter planned to give a speech on illegal immigration.