The University of California, Berkeley, was shut down today following violent protests over the planned appearance of far-right Breitbart columnist Milo Giannopoulos.
Hundreds of protesters, mostly students, set up roadblocks, set fires and smashed windows at the university, shouting "Make them silent" and hurling stones at police, who responded by using tear gas.
Police have cordoned off Berkeley and the university's chancellery was finally forced to cancel last night's conference where Giannopoulos was speaking.
An ardent supporter of US President Donald Trump, whom he called "daddy" during his election campaign, Giannopoulos is one of the most well-known figures in the US alternative right.
Greek-born Giannopoulos, who specializes in new technologies and is known on social networking sites for his provocative tone, saw his Twitter account blocked in July when he attacked black American actress Leslie Jones.
Giannopoulos himself criticized in a statement "the left", saying that "he is terrified of freedom of speech and is literally doing anything to prevent it."
Also speaking on Fox News, police said police were forced to remove him from Berkeley University after protesters began throwing stones and other objects at the building where he was staying.
"It's obviously a liberal university, so they hate any libertarian or conservative who dares to express an opinion. I don't like them very much ", added Giannopoulos to Fox News.
Police in riot gear stormed a rally on Friday, removing hundreds of protesters by truck. Police in riot gear stormed a rally on Friday, removing hundreds of protesters by truck. "Because of the violent protests, reinforcements are coming. "University students should leave the area immediately," police wrote on their Twitter account.
He also issued a warning to those inside the university, urging them not to go outside and away from the windows, as protesters return to the university after moving to South Berkeley.
The far-right Breitbart website has been a staunch supporter of Trump's candidacy, and former Steve Bannon is now the new US president's strategic adviser.
Similar demonstrations at Davis University last month prevented a conference on which Giannopoulos would also speak. In both cases, he was summoned by a group of conservative students.
The rectory authorities of both universities stressed that they were not the ones who sent the invitation to Giannopoulos but also that they do not share his views. However, they added that they could not block his speech, as they had to ensure freedom of speech.
More than 100 Berkeley students had signed two letters to the university's chancellery asking for the conference to be canceled.
Source: newsbeast.gr