Reports have been made all across the nation concerning the UC Berkeley protest against guest speaker Milo Yiannopoulos. While images of burning objects, destroyed property, and general violence have graced the news, there's a lot to the story that has been left out.
Yes, there was violence. Yes, things got burned down. Yes, it was crazy. But it wasn't because of UC Berkeley students.
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What had the potential to be a prime example of students gathering together peacefully to protest a hateful individual who intended to speak at our school turned out to be a post-apocalyptic looking event that had many people in shock at how violent Berkeley students appeared. However, it's crucial for the public to recognize that the damage and destruction caused that night was NOT caused by Berkeley students, rather, it was caused by a nearby anarchist group who took to the campus in order to do what they do best--- be violent.
It's disappointing to see that the public is buying into the idea of "violent liberal Berkeley students" when the people who made us look violent to the rest of the world were in fact NOT students. Even Donald Trump tweeted about the event and threatened to cut federal funding to UC Berkeley as a result of the anti-Milo Yiannopoulos protest and the violence that ensued thanks to the local anarchists.
Students had originally intended to protest peacefully and even held a Resistance Dance Party on Sproul Plaza in order to detract attention away from thespeaker and his hateful rhetoric to instead celebrate togetherness. Clearly, the peaceful ambiance didn't last long, and the event was canceled.
Below are some pictures that I took at the event of what they aren't showing you on most media outlets:
Since Milo Yiannopoulos is known for his discriminatory speeches, Sproul Hall was lit up with an array of rainbow colors to let him know that while he was invited by to speak, by a group on campus, Berkeley as an institution does not tolerate hateful speech or acts. No violence here.
A picture I took and posted to my Snapchat story on the night of the event. Berkeley students were in shock as we did not participate or expect the violence that ensued.
A picture I took of "Freedom for All" written in chalk on the sidewalk at school, not exactly the pictures of destruction that have frequented the news lately.
Despite the fact that many people are relieved about the event being cancelled, it begs the question of whether or not the anarchist approach on behalf of Berkeley students was actually helpful, or whether it simply reaffirms the claims of the "crazy liberals" that conservatives (including Yiannopoulos himself) have been trying to prove all along. Whether or not it worked can be debated, and the question of free speech elicits a lot of gray areas in that protesting in and of itself is a form of free speech, and Milo Yiannopoulos' intended speech could also be seen as a form of free speech. Regardless, it is important that people think critically about the events that ensued, as well as thinking critically about the media they consume.
