Protesters burn trash and cardboard in the street in Berkeley, Calif. on Feb. 1, 2017 (Elijah Nouvelage/Getty Images)
President Donald Trump took to Twitter to express his outrage at the historically free-speech friendly University of California, Berkeley after violent protestors clashed with police over a speaking event at which conservative Breitbart editor Milo Yiannopoulos was scheduled to appear.
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 protests intensified — including the use of Molotov cocktails that caused generator-powered spotlights to catch fire — the event was cancelled and the campus locked down by police. In a statement posted on Facebook, Yiannopolis said he was “evacuated from the campus.”
Livestreams and Twitter posts from the demonstration show protesters shooting fireworks at the building, and at least one fire small fire was set near the event. Windows were also reportedly broken. Police ordered crowds to disperse, and fired rubber pellets at demonstrators who refused the order.
Due to violent demonstration, additional resources are being brought in. Cal students should leave the area immediately. #miloatcal
A local reporter tweeted images of “fresh” spray paint last night that featured vandalism saying “kill fascist,” “f— Milo,” and “kill Trump” at a Walgreens located near the campus.
The violence was instigated by a group of “about 150 masked agitators,” according to a UC Berkeley statement, indicating that the majority of the “more than 1,500 protesters” conducted themselves peacefully.
No arrests were made, according to multiple reports including from CNN and the L.A. Times.
In light of Trump’s claim that the university didn’t “allow free speech,” the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education said there was no evidence that Berkeley silenced Yiannopoulos.
“Those who engage in violent and/or destructive protests are ultimately responsible for their unlawful behavior and may be subject to arrest and prosecution by law enforcement,” the group, which promotes freedom of speech, said in a statement (via the L.A. Times). “To punish an educational institution for the criminal behavior of those not under its control and in contravention of its policies, whether through the loss of federal funds or through any other means, would be deeply inappropriate and most likely unlawful.”
Berkeley was ground zero for the Free Speech Movement in the 1960s, when angry students were not allowed to use campus facilities for their anti-war and other campaigns. The movement inspired campuses across the country to allow free speech.
Yiannopoulos has been touring college campuses since last year and his appearance have drawn repeated protests. Violence erupted during one such demonstration on January 20 at the University of Washington, Seattle, when a protestor was shot in the stomach by a supporter of Yiannopoulos. The victim survived, and the shooter was arrested and released after citing self defense.
Yiannopoulos was permanently banned by Twitter in July, 2016 after leading a racially motivated harassment campaign against “Ghostbusters” and “SNL” actress Leslie Jones.
Every 'SNL' Alec Baldwin Donald Trump Sketch Ranked, From Least to Most Retweetable (Photos)
We’re in for at least (probably) four years of Donald Trump as President of the United States. That means lots of bad things and one particularly great thing: We’re in for a lot more Alec Baldwin impersonations of Trump on “Saturday Night Live.” From the often ridiculous phrases to the weird outbursts, “SNL” has captured all of it. In fact, the sketches often seem to struggle to surpass reality in terms of absurdity. But they get there. Here’s a list of every Baldwin-as-Trump “SNL” sketch, ranked from least to most hilarious, with links to the sketches.
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21. Trump’s Classroom Cold Open (Dec. 3, 2016)
Trump retweets ridiculous people, like a 16-year-old and a white supremacist. This one’s sadder than it is funny, though, because most of it doesn’t even require jokes. You can watch that sketch here.
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20. Donald Trump Prepares Cold Open (Nov. 19, 2016)
Fresh off winning the election, Trump’s completely unprepared. We already know that Mike Pence will do everything, but good effort, “SNL.” You can watch that sketch here.
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19. Trump’s Christmas Cold Open (Dec. 17, 2016)
Vladimir Putin and Rex Tillerson drop by Trump Tower for Christmas. This one definitely brings to mind the phrase, “No puppet, no puppet.” It's also, perhaps, the most outright terrifying of all of these. You can watch that sketch here.
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18. The O'Reilly Factor with Donald Trump (April 8)
Alec Baldwin played both a scandalized Bill O'Reilly and Trump, who appeared on O'Reilly's show to defend him. A clueless Trump is a nice addition to this one but he's ultimately just an addition to another gag. You can watch the sketch here.
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17. Donald Trump vs. Hillary Clinton — Debate Three Cold Open (Oct. 22, 2016)
Trump is winning “every single poll taken outside a Cracker Barrel,” but it’s Kate McKinnon as Hillary Clinton who steals this one — kind of like in real life. You can watch that sketch here.
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16. Donald Trump vs. Hillary Clinton — Debate 1 Cold Open (Oct. 1, 2016)
The first debate really found Baldwin hitting the Trump stride. It’s mostly just him shouting “Gina” in a very insistent tone (his weird pronunciation of "China"). “Yuge Gina” gets a lot of mileage though. You can watch that sketch here.
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15. Trump Takes the Appeals Court to 'The People's Court' (Feb. 11)
"SNL" made good on Trump's all-caps "SEE YOU IN COURT" tweet by taking the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals to "The People's Court." But Judge Milian hassling Trump about his travel ban was a bit too short to really take off. Watch the sketch here.
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14. Sean Spicer Confronts Trump (May 13)
After a tough White House Press Briefing, Melissa McCarthy's Press Secretary Sean Spicer rode his motorized podium to New York to confront Trump on lies. The pair wound up making out. Watch the sketch here.
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13. Donald Trump Phoenix Rally Cold Open (Aug. 24, 2016)
Trump gives a goodbye to Steve Bannon and pledges to build the Wall on the U.S.-Mexico border and make the American tax payer pay for it. Watch the sketch here.
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12. Trump's People (April 8)
Trump checks in with rural white Americans after ordering an airstrike on Syria. Desperate to keep everyone happy, he promises everyone will have coal jobs for the rest of their lives and that he'll slash minimum wage. The final joke about "finger chili" is a standout moment. Watch the sketch right here.
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11. VP Debate Cold Open (Oct. 8, 2o16)
Trump nabs the spotlight from the vice presidential debate and realizes he needs to be a lot more careful about talking about sexually assaulting people while wearing hot mics. Describing himself as a gross groping hurricane is hilariously cringe-worthy. You can watch that sketch here.
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10. Trump might have ties to Zorblat-9 as aliens invade (March 11)
Trump spoke to American troops to rally them in a battle against super-powerful space aliens. Unfortunately, Trump's old standbys like "we don't win anymore" and "we're going to bring coal back" were not all that helpful. Most of the rhetoric is stuff we've heard before, but Leslie Jones' and Sasheer Zamata's moments near the end elevate the sketch. Watch the sketch here.
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9. Trump call with Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz (Sept. 30, 2016)
Trump fields a call with Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz of San Juan, Puerto Rico, and reminds her that if the U.S. territory should have invested in FEMA Prime if it wanted fast hurricane relief. Watch the sketch here.
The final cold open of the season references Kate McKinnon's cold open as Hillary Clinton, making a perfect joke about Donald Trump's week of news scandals. Scarlett Johansson even returned for a quick guest appearance to reprise her role as Ivanka Trump. Watch it here.
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7. Hillary Clinton/Donald Trump Cold Open (Nov. 5, 2016)
CNN doesn’t care that Trump literally kisses the FBI, Putin and the KKK, instead pestering Hillary about emails. Alec and Kate heartwarming run through Times Square is the real sweet spot of the sketch. You can watch that sketch here.
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6. Donald Trump gives Bannon and Kushner the 'Apprentice' Treatment (April 15)
After a week of reports about infighting between Steve Bannon and Jared Kushner, "SNL" pits the two advisers against each other in to see who will be eliminated. Spoiler alert: It's Bannon. Watch the sketch here.
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5. Donald Trump Trucker Rally Did Cold Open (Oct. 14)
Baldwin's Trump continues to make Vice President Mike Pence (Beck Bennett) walk out of things in protest, including a basketball game, a Starbucks and a gay wedding. Watch the sketch here.
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4. Donald Trump vs. Hillary Clinton Town Hall Debate Cold Open (Oct. 15, 2016)
Of all the debates, the second was the funniest. Trump lurking in the background and slipping past Hillary like he’s the shark in a “Jaws” movie completely captures the awkwardness of the real event. You can watch that sketch here.
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3. Donald Trump Press Conference Cold Open (Jan. 14)
It might be the lowest-brow of the sketches, but Trump accidentally talking about urine throughout his press conference is bested only by the line, “I’m not talking about the pee-pee, because it didn’t happen and it wasn’t as cool as it sounds.” You can watch that sketch here.
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2. Donald Trump and Steve Bannon call world leaders (Feb. 4)
"SNL" channels two weeks of executive actions and other Trump news items to turn out a ton of jokes that channel absurdity while still finding new ways to be funny. Watch the sketch here.
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1. Donald Trump interview with Lester Holt (May 13)
After firing former FBI Director James Comey, Trump realized he could say just about anything with no consequences. He tried it out in an interview with Lester Holt. Watch the sketch here.
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Get ready for four more years of this
We’re in for at least (probably) four years of Donald Trump as President of the United States. That means lots of bad things and one particularly great thing: We’re in for a lot more Alec Baldwin impersonations of Trump on “Saturday Night Live.” From the often ridiculous phrases to the weird outbursts, “SNL” has captured all of it. In fact, the sketches often seem to struggle to surpass reality in terms of absurdity. But they get there. Here’s a list of every Baldwin-as-Trump “SNL” sketch, ranked from least to most hilarious, with links to the sketches.
NBC
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