Investigation into Unrest at a University Event
The government's top legal department is looking into the disturbances that erupted at a recent on-campus event held by a prominent conservative group at the University of California, Berkeley. The investigation was announced by the country's Attorney General, who hinted that the inquiry is part of the government's intensified focus on the antifa movement.
The Attorney General shared in an online post that the so-called "violent riots" which took place at the California-based institution are now under the scrutiny of the national security and crime-fighting agency's Joint Terrorism Task Force.
The Event that Sparked the Unrest
The event by the conservative group took place a couple of months after the tragic demise of the group's founder and conservative activist on a college campus in Utah. The event marked the end of a nationwide tour of college campuses organized by the group since their founder's untimely death.
On the night of the event, a large group of largely peaceful demonstrators congregated near the location where the event was being held. There were instances of clashes between the law enforcement agencies and some of the protesters, as videos of the demonstrations reveal. In one instance, smoke bombs were thrown.
Arrests and Injuries
The local police department stated that two men were apprehended on charges of engaging in public fighting. One of these individuals was let go after it was discovered that a chain belonging to him had been stolen by a 25-year-old man and he was merely trying to retrieve it.
In addition to these, two more individuals were arrested by the university's own law enforcement body for not complying with given directives. One of these was a current student of the university while the other had no connection with the institution. A 45-year-old attendee of the event was struck by a glass bottle and had to be taken to the hospital.
Response from the University
In a statement, the University of California, Berkeley said it is conducting a thorough investigation into the incident. The university administration has committed to working with federal authorities to identify and hold accountable those responsible for attempting to disrupt the event.
The university statement affirmed the institution's commitment to free speech, asserting that there is no room at their campus for attempts to use violence or intimidation to curb lawful expression or free speech.
Previous Incidents
This is not the first time an event featuring conservative speakers has triggered protests on the Berkeley campus. In 2017, a speech by a right-wing activist had to be cancelled after several hundred protesters assembled, starting fires and causing property damage.
Investigation into Campus Security
The Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights at the Justice Department shared on her online platform that her division will be examining several serious issues concerning security on the campus and in the local area.
The Antifa Threat
The Attorney General, in her online post announcing the investigation, wrote: "Antifa is an existential threat to our nation".
Antifa, short for anti-fascist, is a term often used to refer to individuals on the far-left and anarchists. However, the Congressional Research Service has described antifa as lacking a central organizational structure or detailed ideology, characterizing it as a broadly defined movement that supports anarchism, socialism, and communism.
Recently, the Justice Department took an unprecedented step by charging two men from Texas with providing material support to antifa. This was in relation to their involvement in a violent incident on Independence Day at an immigration detention facility that left a federal officer injured. The Justice Department claimed that the duo were part of an "Antifa cell" that planned the attack with firearms and explosives.