Ann Coulter was planning on speaking at UC Berkeley on April 27. That is, until the university said they couldn’t guarantee her safety due to the threat of violence and massive protests.
The Berkeley College Republicans and the Young America’s Foundation backed out of their support for the Coulter event. Coulter waved her arms and howled and threw a tantrum. Then, on April 27, right-wing protesters showed up in Berkeley to protest the non-event.
The alt-right called it a “Rally for Free Speech” at the Berkeley Civic Center, where these pictures were taken. They came from all over the US, festooned with flags, pins and bumper-sticker patriotic quotes velcroed to leather vests. Also, they came prepared — with an armory of helmets, shoulder and knee pads, fighting gloves, baseball bats, knives, radios, gas masks, goggles and scores of big dudes with big arms.
To treat their wounds (should the Antifa engage them in battle), they had an alt-right M.A.S.H field medical unit, with helmet-wearing nurses in Red Cross T-shirts.
Interestingly, the alt-right had a somewhat diverse cross section of supporters at the microphone: blacks, whites, Asians and Latinos stood alongside the Oath Keepers, American Freedom Keepers, Sovereign Nation, Bikers for Trump, Latinos for Trump and various and sundry neo-Nazi, anti-immigration, skinhead and militia groups.
They were pent-up and watchful for those Antifa to come at them. It’s been a long time since I’ve heard someone call someone else a communist and actually mean it.
But the battle gear was for nought. The anti-fascists had better things to do. Speeches were spoken, and fists and slogans were hurled over Berkeley police in riot gear at their opponents across the street. Vigorous debating wasn’t quite the battle they came for. But no blood was shed — they got their free speech, and the Berkeley clean-up crew got a break.
All photos by Dwayne Newton of San Francisco.
