BERKELEY, Calif. (AP) – When computer science major Lindsay Nichols considers the possibility of a “Free Speech Week” featuring right-wing firebrands at the University of California, Berkeley, the first word that comes to her mind is “annoyance.”
Biology student Kyeong Kim agrees. She’s all for free speech but the prospect of more political clashes and the disruptions they bring draws a big shrug.
“It’s the new normal here: The police, the helicopters,” says Kim, 24, an international student from South Korea. “I stay away. I don’t want to get caught in a violent protest.”
Berkeley’s reputation as a liberal stronghold and the birthplace of the 1960s Free Speech Movement has made the city and campus flashpoints for the country’s political divisions since the election of President Donald Trump.
The four-day event scheduled to start Sunday was organized by right-wing provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos, whose previous attempt to speak on campus in February was shut down by masked anarchists who rioted on campus.