The College Fix

‘They’ve breached the rear door’

University of California Berkeley pro-Palestinian activists “breached” an event and broke glass afterwards as part of a planned disruption of an event with an Israel Defense Forces veteran.

“Bears for Palestine” at University of California Berkeley marched through campus and shouted down Ran Bar-Yoshafat, an attorney and IDF veteran, as reported by The Daily Californian. Students Supporting Israel and Berkeley Tikvah organized the event, the student newspaper reported.

The activists also shattered glass last night, according to the campus newspaper and police scanner audio.

“Shut it down: Genocidal murderers out of Berkeley,” the group wrote on its Instagram.

There were between 100 to 250 protesters throughout the night, according to the police.

The event moved from Wheeler Hall Auditorium to Zellerbach Playhouse. The students entered the seating area, according to police scanner audio.

“They’ve breached the rear door,” one officer says. Screaming can be heard in the background of the call.

Here is the UCPD dispatch audio from tonight’s protest (and the resulting WarnMe’s). The audio was provided by @airplaneian since I am no longer in Berkeley. Thank you!

Things get crazy at 7 minutes onward.https://t.co/8cRLsm7YKJ

— Scan Berkeley (@ScanBerkeley) February 27, 2024

“Do you want us to go get our hats and bats,” one officer asks. “We’re going to have to fight our way up the stairs to push them back to close the door.”

“Negative,” the respondent says. “We’re going to be shutting down the event.”

“I need cover,” one officer yells.

“Requesting additional units inside,” a dispatcher asks.

“We’re holding the east door,” another officer says.

Another officer says he was “inside the event” and was “escorting the attendees out the back door.”

Protesters remained in the lobby after the police cleared the auditorium.

“There’s vandalism now, windows have broke, perimeter’s breached,” an officer says.

Another caller said there was a “594 [vandalism]” on “one of the glass doors.”

Berkeley Hillel wants to see the activists held accountable.

Last night at @UCBerkeley, Jewish students were threatened, assaulted, and prevented from attending a speech by a Jewish speaker on campus. Campus police shut down this private event when it became clear that they could not protect the students. Multiple students reported being… pic.twitter.com/FKidts1FvZ

— JCRC Bay Area (@SFJCRC) February 27, 2024

“Breaking windows, intimidating students, and inciting a mob are never acceptable and have no place in civil discourse,” the group stated, according to the campus newspaper.

The university has seen violent, unruly protests before, including an infamous clash between leftist activists and police when Milo Yiannopoulos spoke on campus in February 2017. He returned to campus later that year for a brief event that reportedly required $800,000 in security costs.

UC Berkeley’s police chief came to the university after being cited for serious failures on January 6, 2021. She was the assistant chief of the U.S. Capitol police.

The university praised Yogananda Pittman for her commitment to “diversity” and fighting “racism,” as previously reported by The Fix.

MORE: Police shield Jewish professor during violent pro-Palestinian protest

IMAGE: Bears for Palestine/Instagram

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