Last Wednesday, a protest turned violent at UC Berkeley, and brought the ideals and opinions of black-masked “Anti-Fascists” (Anti-Fa) into the national spotlight for the second time in weeks. The entire situation provides an opportunity for discussing free speech and the nature of protest.
UC Berkeley is a school known for its activism and liberal politics, so it is unsurprising that students organized peaceful protests against a lecture to be delivered that night by conservative provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos.
However, after a group of around 100 masked protestors armed with fireworks and rods assaulted police and civilians, the night ended with thousands of dollars in damage and several injured people.
The whole scene echoed images from inauguration weekend just weeks before: black-bloc protesters coming in and destroying buildings in downtown D.C., a masked man punching alt-right and white-nationalist Richard Spencer in a now-famous video, crowds surrounding and destroying vehicles.
The rioters who overtook the protests were not affiliated with UC Berkeley and showed that they favor chaos over progressive politics. And, by creating national news, they gave Yiannopoulos an outlet to criticize the Left and academia en masse.
In a statement on Facebook, Yiannopoulos said, “One thing we do know for sure: The Left is absolutely terrified of free speech and will do literally anything to shut it down.”
Though I often overwhelmingly disagree with many of his views, Yiannopoulos makes a good point here: The Left, and particularly academia, is not always the most accepting to dialogue across party lines. Even on a campus as conservative as Ole Miss’, it is often difficult to find the right-wing perspective in classroom discussions of politics and culture.
Liberals need to be willing to hear what conservatives have to say, without starting at the false assumption that everything they say is “hate speech.” And, on the other side, conservatives need to be willing to present their ideas in academic settings, without starting at the similarly false assumption that their views are always being attacked or restricted.
Everyone has a right to protest, but listening must come first.
It is important to remember: the student protestors were peaceful, and Berkeley administrators hold that the anarchists were from outside of campus.
But regardless, let Berkeley stand as a reminder that we are blessed with free speech and ought to use it to peacefully resist what we see as unjust.
Violence can have its place in resistance, if the oppressing force is unjustifiably violent itself, but riots far too often become proxies for other frustrations of the rioters that have nothing to do with the original purpose of the protest.
Those Anti-Fa protestors were more concerned with causing destruction and creating a news story than they were with actually opposing the alt-right or Trump’s policies. As they destroyed businesses, injured peaceful protestors and attacked police, they did not have in mind the lives of the refugees Trump is turning away or the people who will lose healthcare in the coming years.
If you live a critically engaged life, your beliefs are bound to and should be challenged. When presented with the other side, come with your words and your ideas, but don’t bring your weapons.
Liam Nieman is a southern studies and economics major from Mount Gretna, Pennsylvania.
