Source: KQED
Berkeley Mayor Jesse Arreguin wants to avoid revisiting the same violent incidents that broke out earlier this year during protests against far-right figure Milo Yiannopoulos, who was supposed to give a speech at UC Berkeley.
During the protests, black bloc militants vandalized the area on campus and surrounding areas, costing the city more than $100,000 in damage, reported KQED.
There were approximately six injuries and 13 arrests in a more recent counterprotest of an arranged rally by right-wing activists.
“I obviously believe in freedom of speech, but there is a line between freedom of speech and then posing a risk to public safety,” Arreguin told San Francisco Chronicle during an interview.
UC Berkeley officials said that the safety of students and businesses in the surrounding areas is important and that they will cooperate with the city to ensure the safety of the community, however the university cannot stop independent student organizations from inviting speakers for free speech events.
Read full story at: KQED