A large group of protesters did their best to shut down a speech by Ann Coulter at Berkeley last night. They failed because of a large police presence which mostly kept the protesters in line. However, six or seven “masked protesters” were arrested including one who fought with police. Also, one of the attendees at the event was injured by protesters:

Multiple masked protesters arrested at tonight's campus event. #AnnCoulter #ucberkeley

— UC Police, Berkeley (@UCPD_Cal) November 21, 2019

SFGate reports protesters did their best to block attendees from being able to enter the building:

Barricades were erected in front of Wheeler Hall, and police in riot gear guarded the main entrances to the building all evening. Beyond the barricades, hundreds of protestors gathered throughout the night, their ranks swelling by Coulter’s scheduled 9 p.m. start time. The words “Berkeley stands united against hate” were projected up onto Wheeler, as well as, “Why do the Berkeley College Republicans keep inviting Nazis on campus?”…

Doors technically opened for ticket-holders at 8 p.m., but attendees struggled to get inside with so many demonstrators outside the hall. Some of those protestors chanted, “Don’t let them in.” One attendee could be seen jumping the barricade, while another group was escorted by police into Wheeler Hall. Several were seen leaving after attempts to get in were thwarted by large crowds.

Before attendees started arriving the protesters chanted: “No fascists, no racists, let’s put them in their places.”

Hundreds of demonstrators at UC Berkeley are protesting a speech by @AnnCoulter. pic.twitter.com/jjtTYcAuuA

— Joe Vazquez (@joenewsman) November 21, 2019

The mob did its best to prevent people from entering.

Appears to be getting violent from protesters blocking entrance and attendees trying to get by pic.twitter.com/Snn4Qogq0B

— Калифорнийский Марк (@mapkdied) November 21, 2019

Some protesters just pushed through the line:

Protester physically block a couple from entering the #Anncoulter event at #WheelerHall in #UCBerkeley. pic.twitter.com/kFNRhspXa8

— Denis Ivan Perez-Bravo (@dpi_19) November 21, 2019

Others tried but could not get through:

Left-wing protesters at @UCBerkeley form a human wall with linked arms to block others from entering the @AnnCoulter speech earlier tonight. pic.twitter.com/938ZWCP8b7

— Andy Ngô (@MrAndyNgo) November 21, 2019

This group of protesters blocked a woman from getting inside and then someone tricked her into handing over her ticket:

Left-wing protesters at @UCBerkeley block a woman from entering Wheeler Hall for the @AnnCoulter event. A protester then pretends to be with the event organizers in order to steal the woman’s ticket. pic.twitter.com/z4YrZXsVqX

— Andy Ngô (@MrAndyNgo) November 21, 2019

"Racists Go Home" — On the barricades at UC Berkeley against Ann Coulter. Students are determined to keep people from entering her fascist speech targeting immigrants. pic.twitter.com/r0o8h5iAOi

— Bay Area Protest Photo (@ProtestPix) November 21, 2019

There’s video of two people being arrested but it’s not clear what they were doing:

https://twitter.com/SolisCarolyna/status/1197423519245594625

Berkeley resident Jose Robles said he approached the barricades in front of Wheeler Hall to ask UCPD how to get into the event, when he was allegedly “accosted” by protesters #Coulterprotest pic.twitter.com/pdAycYouoR

— Amber Tang (@ambertang_dc) November 21, 2019

Some kind of scuffle broke out as protesters claimed a man had a weapon and then try to block his path:

A moment of panic as protestors claim man has a weapon. #berkeley pic.twitter.com/pS5r9xklqT

— Berkeley Observer (@berkeleyobserve) November 21, 2019

Ann Coulter arrived and set off the protesters (Lots of NSFW language):

Ann Coulter entering Wheeler Hall with escorts

Also: two helicopters above Berkeley pic.twitter.com/aYcBJjP7TP

— Калифорнийский Марк (@mapkdied) November 21, 2019

Inside Wheeler Hall, the event was almost immediately interrupted by a protester shouting “You’re a f**king Nazi!” The shouting didn’t last long as the protester was handcuffed and removed pretty quickly:

Within minutes, a protester began yelling at @AnnCoulter. She was handcuffed and dragged out. pic.twitter.com/Uw9EstOxbN

— Joe Vazquez (@joenewsman) November 21, 2019

There’s video of the first 10 minutes of the speech here. It shows there were several more interruptions by protesters who had apparently paid for a ticket to get inside. The entire event lasted about an hour. Outside, the protesters waited around for the attendees to leave so they could get in some more heckling:

Large group being escorted pic.twitter.com/NAvejpYvSY

— Калифорнийский Марк (@mapkdied) November 21, 2019

Demonstrators chanting “shame on you” as Ann Coulter speech attendees exit the building #coulterprotest pic.twitter.com/SBKYMqSgj9

— jake souza (@jsouza_dailycal) November 21, 2019

I’m not sure when this took place but, as always, when left-wing protesters don’t have anyone else to distract them, they turn on the police: “Cops and Klan go hand in hand.”

There was a police update after the event:

At a press conference after the Ann Coulter event had wound up, UC Berkeley and UCPD spokespeople said “six or seven” people were arrested and one was injured during the night on campus. The “affiliations” of the people who were detained are unknown at this point, UCPD said, but all will be cited then released, except for one person UCPD said “fought police” inside the venue.

UCPD Chief Margo Bennett said the injured person had a ticket to the event and “was victimized in the crowd” and transported to the hospital.

As you can see in this local news clip, this reporter praised the crowd for not starting any fires or doing any property damage. That’s a pretty low bar but I guess that’s the most you can hope for in Berkeley.