Protesters confront police outside the Turning Point USA event on the campus of the University of California, Berkeley, on November 10.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
Protests at Monday’s Turning Point USA event on the campus of the University of California, Berkeley, prompted announcements of arrests and investigations from top U.S. Justice Department officials who claimed “Antifa” were involved. The U.S. Department of Justice has launched an investigation into various allegations against the UC system, and the Trump administration has demanded that UCLA pay $1.2 billion and make other concessions.
“Antifa is an existential threat to our country,” Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a Tuesday post on X. “Last night’s violent unrest at UC Berkeley is under full investigation by the FBI-led Joint Terrorism Task Force.”
Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon, who oversees the Justice Department’s civil rights division, also said her department would investigate. “I see some serious concerns regarding campus and local safety and the ability of Antifa to operate with impunity in California,” she wrote on X.
UC Berkeley spokesman Dan Mogulof said Inside higher education On Wednesday, only one violent incident was reported: A person holding a ticket to the event was hit in the head by a glass bottle or can thrown by a group of protesters. The victim was taken by ambulance to Highland Hospital but was “upright and conscious,” Mogulov said. He added that police were reviewing the video to see who threw the object.
Mogulov said people mistakenly believed the incident was related to the protests, and the Berkeley Police Department said officers were monitoring the protest when they saw two men fighting. Police determined one of the men had stolen the chain from another, the other was trying to retrieve it, and the man who allegedly stole the chain was arrested on suspicion of robbery and assault causing injury.
Mogulov also said campus police arrested two people for allegedly failing to comply with instructions and arrested four students the night before the protest on charges of felony vandalism for allegedly hanging objects on the historic Sather Gate. Mogulov said there were people at the protests “calling themselves Antifa,” but he didn’t know if they were part of an organized group.
“Attempts to use violence or intimidation to prevent legitimate expression or suppress free speech will not be tolerated at UC Berkeley,” the university said in a statement. “The university is conducting a comprehensive investigation and intends to fully cooperate and assist with any federal investigation.”
