The College Fix

UPDATED

‘I expect that the administration will not hide behind the heckler’s veto of despicable groups like Antifa’

The University of California-Berkeley has more than two months to prepare for conservative pundit Ben Shapiro’s arrival on campus for a lecture supported by the Young America’s Foundation.

YAF announced this morning it was calling the university’s bluff on whether it really welcomes conservative viewpoints by bringing Shapiro, whose speaking gig at California State University-Los Angeles turned into a riot when the administration refused to police aggressive and threatening protesters:

“I look forward to speaking to students of all viewpoints at Berkeley,” commented Ben Shapiro. “I expect that the administration will not hide behind the heckler’s veto of despicable groups like Antifa to prevent this event from moving forward. The home of the free speech movement has an obligation to protect free speech.”

YAF spokesperson Spencer Brown reiterated that UC-Berkeley has hosted a “parade of leftist speakers” on favorable terms while making conservative groups like the Berkeley Republicans jump through hoops or proactively cancel their events.

He told The College Fix in an email:

Per UC-Berkeley policy, the proper administrators were notified of YAF and BCR’s intent to host Ben Shapiro on September 14th prior to this morning’s announcement.

The ball is now in Berkeley’s court, and their next action will be telling: Either they will assign a room (just as Berkeley does for liberal speakers) as requested by BCR students, or they will prove their unconstitutional and anti-conservative bias by shamefully attempting to block the First Amendment rights of conservative students with viewpoint-discriminatory restrictions.

Assistant Vice Chancellor Dan Mogulof told The Fix in an email statement that “we want to state unequivocally that Mr. Shapiro is welcome on the Berkeley campus and that we will work with the student organization to ensure they can host a safe and successful event.”

The College Republicans have requested a venue that can fit 500 attendees and asked for a 7 p.m. time slot, and “per standard practice,” the administration will verify whether it can accommodate those requests.

Mogulof emphasized that a security assessment by campus police is “required by standing policy,” and it may lead them to offer “guidance for the timing and location” of Shapiro’s speech. Whether or not the CRs get a venue and time slot they like is subject to “the recommendations of law enforcement professionals,” he said.

Rioters shut down a planned Milo Yiannopoulos speech at UC-Berkeley earlier this year, and the school proactively canceled an appearance by Ann Coulter, fearing similar violence from left-wing agitators.

YAF and the Berkeley CRs are suing the university for its practices toward their invited speakers.

UPDATE: The administration’s response to the announcement from YAF and the Berkeley CRs has been added.

MORE: Cal State LA let rowdy students shut down Shapiro, says suit

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