At the University of California Berkeley on Monday (Nov. 10), a bloody clash erupted as hundreds of people protested a Turning Point USA (TPUSA) event. The final stop of the “American Comeback Tour” occurred two months after TPUSA cofounder Charlie Kirk was assassinated on a Utah campus. The Berkeley stop also was the organization’s first visit to California since Kirk’s death.
Video of the melee showed masked protesters chanting and waving signs. One man wearing a “Freedom” T-shirt had blood dripping down his face. Some protesters lit firebombs, hurled glass containers, and threw rocks at police in riot gear. According to news reports, four people were arrested.
Event cohost Frank Turek, a Christian apologist who mentored Kirk, recalled telling Kirk how much he wanted to attend the Berkeley event. “It is so progressive and liberal in [its] views,” Turek said of the university, “and I wanted to provide evidence that Christianity was indeed true.”
RELATED: Christian Apologist Frank Turek Shares Eyewitness Account of Charlie Kirk Assassination
Chaos Outside UC Berkeley’s TPUSA Event
Leaders at Turning Point USA shared images of the brawl outside the event center. Mikey McCoy, the group’s chief of staff, posted, “Antifa is breaking through police barricades and threatening our event attendees.”
Andrew Kolvet, a TPUSA spokesperson, compared that scene to the calm, united atmosphere inside. “Despite Antifa thugs blocking our campus tour stop with tear gas, fireworks, and glass bottles,” he wrote on X, “we had a PACKED HOUSE in the heart of deep blue UC Berkeley. God bless these brave students.”
Critics noted that many audience members in Kolvet’s video looked too old to be college students.
Dan Mogulof, a university spokesperson, said extra police officers were on hand for the event. “We have an unwavering commitment to supporting any and every student group who wishes to meet on campus,” he said. “It doesn’t matter their perspectives. Our responsibility is to ensure they provide the resources necessary to keep people safe.”
At UC Berkeley on Monday (Nov. 10), a bloody clash erupted as hundreds of people protested a Turning Point USA (TPUSA) event.Click to PostEvent co-host Rob Schneider, a comedian and outspoken Christian, posted, “Thank YOU, Antifa for welcoming us tonight at UC Berkeley. We look forward to our thoughtful, teargas free discussion and debate.”
About the late Charlie Kirk, Schneider wrote, “I am sorry that this champion of Freedom and of our Lord Jesus Christ will not be here in Berkeley with me this evening. But he IS here in our hearts.”
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