Bloody Skirmishes Erupt at University During Charlie Kirk Event
The influential right-wing group, founded by Charlie Kirk, brought its message to a campus with a long history of left-wing activism.
Fists flew at the University of California as protesters clashed with attendees at a Turning Point USA event—the conservative group’s final campus tour date.
The event marked the turbulent finale of the American Comeback tour—the tour Charlie Kirk launched before he was killed at Utah Valley University in September.
Since his death, the tour’s remaining stops have doubled as memorials, featuring appearances by high-profile conservatives like Vice President JD Vance.
At least four people were arrested during the unrest at the Berkeley campus, including one Turning Point supporter and one protester seen brawling in widely circulated videos, according to Berkeley and UC Berkeley police. Both were taken into custody on suspicion of battery.
Protesters hold signs as they demonstrate outside the Turning Point USA event at the University of California, Berkeley.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
Aerial footage from KTVU Fox captured the melee outside Zellerbach Hall, showing a person in dark clothing repeatedly striking another in a red T-shirt as others waited in line nearby. The fight erupted amid a tense standoff between hundreds of demonstrators and eventgoers, separated by a police barricade. Video showed one man with bloody wounds around his head and face.
Authorities said they had already arrested four students overnight for vandalism related to the event, prompting the university to bolster security. San Francisco sheriff’s deputies and private guards hired by Turning Point were also on site.
Flyers and posters denouncing the group had circulated on campus in the days before the event, calling the organization “transphobic” and “white supremacist.”
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Protesters waved signs reading “Down with Transphobes” and “Down with White Supremacists” as chants echoed across the adjoining plaza.
Berkeley police arrest a protester outside of the Turning Point USA event.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
Berkeley has a long history of free speech protests, dating back to the 1960s, including anti-war and civil rights activism.
UC Berkeley said the protest was organized by a group calling itself Students Organizing for Liberation, which is not an officially registered student organization. Some other groups named on the protest flyer are recognized campus organizations and could face disciplinary review under the Student Code of Conduct, officials said.
Despite the chaos outside, a Turning Point USA spokesperson said the event inside went smoothly and “without incident,” describing it as peaceful and well-attended. “Security handled everything professionally,” the spokesperson added.
Monday’s gathering marked the last stop of Turning Point’s nationwide college tour, a series that has frequently drawn large protests on campuses across the country. The event went forward under heightened security.
The university confirmed that “additional personnel” were deployed for crowd control and to ensure safety “for all members of the campus community.”
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