Trump Threatens to Defund UC Berkeley After Violent Protest

In an early morning tweet on Thursday, President Trump indicated that public universities that did not allow free speech on campus could lose the financial support of the federal government. The message was sent in response to the chaos at the University of California, Berkeley the night before when liberal protests turned violent as a result of a right-wing speaker.

“If U.C. Berkeley does not allow free speech and practices violence on innocent people with a different point of view – NO FEDERAL FUNDS?” Trump wrote.

Hundreds of liberal protesters gathered at the university on Wednesday night to oppose a speech by Breitbart News writer Milo Yiannopoulos, a controversial Trump supporter who prides himself on courting chaos. When the protests grew too large and violent for UC Berkeley officials to contain, the university canceled the speech.

“Of paramount importance this evening was the campus’s commitment to ensure the safety and security of those attending the event, the speaker, those who came to engage in lawful protest, as well as members of the public and the Berkeley campus community,” said a statement from the university.

Demonstrations turned chaotic late in the evening when some protesters, described as masked agitators by police, began breaking windows and throwing smoke bombs at the building where the event was scheduled to take place. Ultimately, they used a diesel generator to spark an enormous fire, endangering property and safety.

In their statement, university officials denounced the actions of the agitators, who are believed to be part of an Oakland group that calls themselves “Black Bloc.”

“We condemn in the strongest possible terms the violence and unlawful behavior that was on display and deeply regret that those tactics will now overshadow the efforts to engage in legitimate and lawful protest against the performer’s presence and perspectives,” said officials.

“While Yiannopoulos’ views, tactics and rhetoric are profoundly contrary to our own, we are bound by the Constitution, the law, our values and the campus’s Principles of Community to enable free expression across the full spectrum of opinion and perspective,” the university concluded.

Yiannopoulos is no stranger to controversy, but he said in a Facebook video that he was nonetheless disturbed by the level of insanity displayed at UC Berkeley.

“I’m just stunned that hundreds of people were so threatened by the idea that a conservative speaker might be persuasive, interesting, funny and might take some people with him, they have to shut it down at all costs,” he said Thursday.

Ah, but with Trump in the White House, these idiots are starting to realize that the liberal America of their imagination is no longer reality. That realization has made them desperate and dangerous.

Whatever happens with the UC Berkeley situation, we should expect to see this kind of violence again. Until these leftists make room for the simple idea that not everyone agrees with their vision of the world, they are going to be trouble.