Ann Coulter will be speaking at the University of California, Berkeley in late April, and school officials are concerned that her appearance could spark protests and riots similar to those seen in January over conservative commentator Milo Yiannopoulos, according to CBS’ San Francisco affiliate KPIX.
In January, Yiannopoulos was forced to cancel an appearance at the school after a protest turned violent, leading to broken windows and a fire outside the building that the event was scheduled to take place. The incident came just two weeks before Yiannopoulos’ career imploded after comments he made on a podcast that were seen as a defense of pedophilia came to light.
“We are pretty apprehensive right now about everything,” Pranav Jandahyala, president of the nonpartisan student political organization BridgeCal, told the station.
“But at the same time, what’s pushing us forward is our optimism. We truly believe we can put on a great event,” Jandahyala said.
KPIX reports that UC Berkeley Republicans are working with BridgeCal on a stronger security plan this time.
“This time we are definitely going to push them to provide more security than they did last time,” Jandahlyala told the station. “More officers on the ground instead of in the balcony.”
Coulter is expected to talk about immigration during the event, which is currently scheduled for April 27. The conservative group Young America’s Foundation will pay the majority of Coulter’s $20,000 speaking fee, according to KPIX.