Thursday, February 2, 2017

Should haters have free speech rights?

Associated Press (via mail.com/news); Editors, Wisdom Quarterly

Berkeley campus chaos spurs questions at free-speech bastion
BERKELEY, California - The chaos at the University of California at Berkeley, was shocking: Protesters [agent provocateurs against Trump and by extension Milo] set fires, smashed windows, hurled "explosives" [fireworks] at police, and ultimately achieved their goal of canceling an appearance by right-wing [hate speech advocate and] provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos.
 
Protestors BonfireMario Savio


I like Milo. UC Berkeley will pay!
The scene gained worldwide attention not just because of the mayhem but because of where it took place. UC Berkeley is the birthplace of the free-speech movement and has been known for more than a half-century as a bastion of tolerance [even or especially of those with unpopular views, even Nazis and Republicans].
 
As the university cleaned up Thursday, it struggled with questions about why the violence spun out of control and what has happened to the open-minded Berkeley of the 1960s.

"It was not a proud night for this campus," school spokesman Dan Moguluf said, later adding, "We are proud of our history and legacy as the home of the free speech movement."

Howard Stern says, "Being president is detrimental to Trump's mental health" (cnn.com)
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Officials knew there was a potential for violence and went to "extraordinary lengths" to prepare for the event, Mogulof said in a statement. But school authorities say they believe the instigators were not Berkeley students.
 
Berkeley was the last stop on Yiannopoulus' college tour, which had sparked protests and sporadic violence around the country. He is a vocal supporter of President Donald Trump and a self-proclaimed internet troll whose comments have been criticized as racist, misogynist, and anti-Muslim. More

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