Berkeley students threaten to sue; Ann Coulter says she’s coming with or without blessing

berkeley riots milo screenshot Ann Coulter
Violent riots erupted at UC Berkeley in February when conservative writer Milo Yiannopoulos was scheduled to speak. (Image: YouTube screenshot)

Conservative students at the University of California at Berkeley are serious about free speech, and are suing the taxpayer-funded liberal college to protect it.

The Berkeley College Republicans and the Young America’s Foundation, a conservative youth group, filed a lawsuit against UC Berkeley on April 24, saying the university discriminates against conservative students and infringes their free-speech rights.

Ann Coulter was invited to speak at an event hosted by the Berkeley College Republicans club on April 27. Last week, UC Berkeley abruptly canceled the event, citing security concerns.

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“It is a sad day indeed when the birthplace of the Free Speech Movement is morphing before our eyes into the cemetery of free speech on college campuses,” the groups’ attorney, Harmeet Dhillon, wrote in a letter last week to Berkeley’s chief attorney Christopher Patti and interim vice-chancellor Stephen Sutton.

On April 24, Coulter announced the lawsuit on Twitter, saying the plaintiffs demand an “appropriate and safe venue” for her speech on campus April 27. The lawsuit also seeks attorneys fees, unspecified monetary damages, and a jury trial.

In February, violent riots erupted when former Breitbart editor Milo Yiannopoulos was scheduled to speak at Berkeley. Masked rioters set fires, smashed windows, and assaulted conservative students, shutting down the event and forcing Milo to be evacuated from campus. Hundreds of thousands of dollars in property damage occurred as a result of the riots, during which police refused to intervene.

University officials asked Coulter to reschedule her speech to May 2. Coulter rejected the offer, saying she’s not available that day. She also tweeted that there are no classes that week. That period, known as Dead Week, is when students are busy studying for finals.

Ann Coulter said the rescheduling has nothing to do with security concerns, but is merely another attempt to silence conservative viewpoints on campus.

“You cannot impose arbitrary and harassing restrictions on the exercise of a constitutional right,” she told Fox News host Sean Hannity. “None of this has to do with security.”

Last week, the Berkeley College Republicans were forced to cancel a speech by conservative writer David Horowitz after receiving numerous threats of violence.

Similar censorship of conservative speakers has occurred on college campuses around the country. Last weekend, a pro-Trump rally in Berkeley was disrupted by masked anti-Trump protesters.

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As it stands now, Coulter said she will speak at Berkeley on Thursday, as originally scheduled — with or without the university’s blessing. She plans to come with her own security detail.

Meanwhile, here are some scenes from last week’s pro-Trump rally, which was hijacked by masked leftist rioters:

https://twitter.com/bobbylee_dc/status/853345639324819456

After masked leftist rioters shut down Milo Yiannopoulos’ speech, President Trump responded by threatening to cut off federal funding for the school. Last year, Berkeley received $370 million in federal funds.

https://twitter.com/PhillyD/status/826986245939040256

https://twitter.com/NIRPUmbrella/status/826987810821390337

https://twitter.com/Breaking911/status/826987630726348800

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