Charlie Kirk event in Berkeley sparks protest against fascism

Monday night's Turning Point USA event at UC Berkeley ended on a sour note, as attendees were forced to exit through a crowd of protesters who taunted and cursed them.

"What's it like to be remembered as a misogynistic, racist enabler by your grandchildren?" one protester shouted through a megaphone.

Others flipped off event-goers and shook their fists, booing and yelling "get outta here" as attendees walked across Sproul Plaza toward Telegraph Avenue at about 9 p.m.

Some attendees leaving Turning Point's "American Comeback" tour at Zellerbach Hall said the event had been peaceful and positive inside, focusing on debate and conversation.

Turning Point USA describes itself as "a nationwide student movement promoting freedom-loving American values" and says it "empowers citizens of all ages to rise up against the radical left in defense of freedom, free markets, and limited government."

The group offers members "activism kits" promoting border security and gun rights, and endorsing capitalism over socialism, among other conservative values.

One attendee said he was a "little bit let down" by the Berkeley response, and that he "would have hoped for more dialogue," particularly from the home of the Free Speech Movement.

Many others declined to speak with the media, expressing concern about getting back to their cars safely with their families through the unruly crowd.

Due to security measures, all of Lower Sproul Plaza had been blocked off by police barricades that kept protesters at bay throughout the night.

As a result, event attendees had only one way to get out: up the steps to Upper Sproul Plaza, then through a narrow choke point where protesters were waiting to heckle and shame them.

On Monday night, protesters said their goal had been to "let these fascists know" they were "not welcome" at UC Berkeley — and that they shouldn't come back.

"We're not scared of them, we're not scared of the fascists and we're not scared of the police," one called out through a megaphone. "We wanna win. And we're gonna do what's necessary to win."

Some chanted "antifascista" as they left for the night, and blithely urged several passing police officers to kill themselves: "You have a gun, use it wisely."

Nearby, several Cal students scoffed at the prospect of being told to commit suicide because of your job.

Hundreds of Charlie Kirk fans attended Monday night's event while more than 100 others — mostly young people, including many wearing masks and keffiyehs — demonstrated outside for hours, holding signs and chanting.

Videos posted on X before the event showed protesters lighting smoke bombs as event attendees waiting in line were struck by flying paint.

The protest was small by Berkeley standards but participants were energized and emotional, repeatedly denouncing Trump and yelling "fuck you, fascists" at police.

At various times, organizers led the crowd in call-and-response exercises, shouting, "In the name of humanity / We refuse to accept / A fascist America" multiple times.

"This is the free speech university," one organizer said. "This university needs to be a hotbed of resistance."

Some of the chants celebrated Charlie Kirk's assassination two months ago ("When fascists come and cause a wreck, they get a bullet in their neck") and urged his followers to "join him 6 feet underground."

Protesters also chanted "death to America" and described the U.S. as a "fascist state" and a "terror state."

BPD arrested Oakland man after vendor battery

Early in the night, the Berkeley Police Department arrested an Oakland man, 25-year-old Jihad Dphrepaulezz, just off campus on suspicion of robbery and felony battery, BPD said.

Authorities said he attacked a vendor selling Charlie Kirk merchandise and snatched a chain from around his neck.

Initially, the vendor was also arrested because police believed the fight stemmed from mutual combat, but he was released when they learned what actually happened, BPD said. He was taken to Alta Bates Hospital for medical treatment.

As of publication time, Dphrepaulezz had already bailed out of jail.

The University of California Police Department said some members of the crowd threw objects, including glass containers full of paint, at officers who held the perimeter around Lower Sproul Plaza throughout the event.

One demonstrator was taken away by the California Highway Patrol but it wasn't immediately clear why.

A UC Berkeley official said more information about protest-related arrests would be available Tuesday.

For most of the night, there was no contact between officers on campus and members of the crowd, who stayed outside the barrier hurling insults and invectives at police.

But viral video did show police use force to drag at least one protester out of the throng when he pushed past the barrier.

At one point, officers also snatched a large banner from the crowd, sparking ire.

UCPD oversaw campus security Monday night with the assistance of officers from all 10 University of California campuses, the California Highway Patrol, the Alameda County Sheriff's Office and the San Francisco Sheriff's Office.

UCPD declined to say how many officers were deployed.

The Berkeley Police Department had a small presence off campus to watch for incidents on city streets but was not directly involved with the event response, authorities said.

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