Conservative commentator Ann Coulter says she will proceed with an anti-immigration lecture next week at the University of California, Berkeley, although school officials have told organizers to cancel the event over safety concerns. "But the university said it had advised Coulter's representatives and the Berkeley College Republicans, which organized the April 27 Coulter event, that the speaking engagement would take place next month", The Times reports.
Coulter had said that she planned to give the scheduled speech despite the university's decision to cancel.
University officials originally announced the cancellation in a letter sent to the Berkeley College Republicans, who invited Coulter to speak.
"Unfortunately, UCPD determined that, given now active security threats, it is not possible to assure that the event could be held successfully.at any of the campus venues available on April 27th", the letter said. They expect a repeat of violence that pre-empted former Breitbart news editor Milo Yiannopoulos' appearance at the school in February.
Good on Ann! Earlier the UC-Berkeley administration canceled a planned February 1 speech by conservative activist Milo Yiannopoulos after a violent campus riot by leftists that local police seemed to do little to stop. She had vowed to come to Cal next week anyway, challenging campus cops to arrest her.
In its letter, Berkeley officials partially blamed Young America's Foundation for inviting Coulter and setting a date without consulting them first.
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"It is ironic that UC Berkeley, known to many as the birthplace of the free speech movement, is now leading the vanguard to silence conservative speech on campus", the letter read. If the university doesn't move the date back to next Thursday, the group says they will be filing a lawsuit, and believes previous case law backs them up.
A campus spokesman said that if Coulter shows up next Thursday, the school will do "what is necessary to provide safety and security for the campus community", but he did not elaborate on what measures that might entail.
The cancellation comes days after violent clashes between far-right and far-left protesters Saturday at a rally supporting President Donald Trump in downtown Berkeley.
Coulter and the group arranging her event said they are rejecting the new invitation.
Coulter told the Washington Post in an email that she thinks her speech has been "unconstitutionally banned" by the "public, taxpayer-supported UC-Berkeley".
"If U.C. Berkeley does not allow free speech and practices violence on innocent people with a different point of view - NO FEDERAL FUNDS?" As the protest and clashes escalated during the Yiannopoulos's event, some began setting fires, throwing rocks and molotov cocktails and attacking members of the crowd. He adds that students have half-joked that Coulter may end up speaking on steps at the university's Sproul Plaza.
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