FEMALE students at a US university have been beaten with flag poles and pepper sprayed amid shocking scenes of violence committed by left-wing rioters.

Donald Trump has threatened to withdraw federal funding from the University of California Berkeley after violent protests forced the cancellation of a planned talk by controversial far-right Breitbart editor Milo Yiannopoulos on Wednesday night.

“If U.C Berkeley does not allow free speech and practices violence on innocent people with a different point of view — NO FEDERAL FUNDS?,” Mr Trump tweeted.

One of the founders of Breitbart, Stephen Bannon, is a key adviser in the Trump administration.

The university receives $US370 million ($483 million) — more than half its budget — in funding from the federal government.

If U.C. Berkeley does not allow free speech and practices violence on innocent people with a different point of view - NO FEDERAL FUNDS? — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 2, 2017

Protests began about 4pm outside the student union where the talk was scheduled to take place, but organisers were soon forced to abandon plans as hundreds of masked rioters began shooting fireworks and throwing rocks at the building.

Rioters lit fires, threw molotov cocktails, pepper sprayed and beat students unconscious with weapons, smashed car windows and attacked the occupants, destroyed ATMs and shops and spray-painted “Kill Trump” and “Kill Facists” on walls.

YouTube user Philip Fabian, who uploaded a video of a woman pinned against a steel barricade being beaten from behind with flag poles, described the scene.

“In the video I posted, protesters, covered in masks, pepper sprayed what I believe could’ve been attendees to the speech tonight,” he wrote.

“What happened was horrible — they were sprayed, pinned up against the metal barricades while protesters struck them in the back and on their heads with wood sticks. The man in the orange bill hat was me — they were crying to get them to stop and to help them get out.

“I jumped the barricades and pulled them out. One of these people, in the first picture was a woman who was being struck continuously by a male assailant. I pulled her out as well. One man was not so lucky as he was pulled away by the protesters as they ganged up on him and continued to hit him on the head.

“You don’t see him in the video but he lay there unconscious. That did not stop people from continuing to kick him. These victims were trying to leave the whole time.”

Others shared video of the violence on Twitter:

A Trump supporter was pepper sprayed in the face for their support of free speech at the UC Berkeley riots last night. pic.twitter.com/AX6b46HYk2 — Ryan Fournier (@RyanAFournier) February 2, 2017

My friend was giving an interview when some coward peppersprayed her #Berkeley pic.twitter.com/CDpEqDsw2A — janey (@janeygak) February 2, 2017

Trump supporter @kiarafrobles was pepper-sprayed by Berkeley protesters at Milo event. pic.twitter.com/KJAvY1lkvA — Alexander Nazaryan (@alexnazaryan) February 2, 2017

antifa beating an unconscious dude with a shovel at their UC Berkeley Milo protest on periscopehttps://t.co/oAc9R9fgLR pic.twitter.com/DuPE0MjNgm — (subtle) (@KittenUwU) February 2, 2017

Things are getting violent – smashing ATMs #MiloAtCal pic.twitter.com/6acLn9q8P2 — Sahil Chinoy (@sahilchinoy) February 2, 2017

These aren't special snowflakes or crybabies as I've seen some people describe them. These are domestic terrorists. pic.twitter.com/GGK6EqoKEu — BLAIRE WHITE 💋 (@MsBlaireWhite) February 2, 2017





Tuesday, Sen. Tim Kaine asked Democrats to “fight in the streets".



Wednesday at UC Berkeley, they beat this man unconscious with a shovel: pic.twitter.com/zvpqCPV2iJ — DEPLORABLE MEDIA (@correctthemedia) February 2, 2017

I watched live as a young girl was beat down & pepper sprayed by three men at UC Berkeley. They kicked her ribs in and stole her hat. pic.twitter.com/pmL9Py0Vxa — Democrats for Trump (@YoungDems4Trump) February 2, 2017

Tree is now on fire at UC Berkeley #MiloAtCal #UCBerkeley. People keep shouting "it's lit!" pic.twitter.com/ypgu6D3T4t — Gillian Edevane (@GillianNBC) February 2, 2017

This just happened at UC Berkeley. Trump supporter attacked by two men on edge of campus. Student describes it as aftershock of last night pic.twitter.com/3Ne5pJmXAM — Jodi Hernandez (@JodiHernandezTV) February 2, 2017

Oh the irony.. UC Berkeley rioters tore down a Starbucks. Guess @Starbucks will hire them all tomorrow.#BoycottStarbucks #UCBerkleyRiot pic.twitter.com/vyZYPSy0di — Tennessee (@TEN_GOP) February 2, 2017

BREAKING: Driver trying to get through rioters at UC Berkeley runs down rioter as he continues destroying his car... pic.twitter.com/BznjBTFMRl — John Binder 👽 (@JxhnBinder) February 2, 2017

Rioters are surrounding another car, confusing it for the previous one that sped off. They broke two windows and pepper sprayed the driver. pic.twitter.com/NtwYw1ET6k — Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) February 2, 2017

Many described the riots as “terrorism”:

How tell if you're part of a fascist mob:

1- You're standing against free speech.

2- It looks like this scene from Indiana Jones #miloatcal pic.twitter.com/DvuIIViDcx — Tim Young (@TimRunsHisMouth) February 2, 2017

Left: "Dont worry. We will only violently attack Nazis"

*Violently attacks a gay jewish man*

Yeah, ok #MiloAtCal pic.twitter.com/mPdMq1xo9Z — Chris (@arbitor365) February 2, 2017

What happened at UC Berkeley was terrorism. Assault, bombs, fire, threats... the Left is radicalizing. And they are dangerous.#MiloAtCal — Black Women 4 Trump (@TallahForTrump) February 2, 2017

The same media that deplored violence at Trump rallies has gone strangely silent about leftist violence at UC-Berkeley #Milo pic.twitter.com/UDkiUxWEr8 — Dinesh D'Souza (@DineshDSouza) February 2, 2017

“People started arriving in black clothes and masks, they were clearly carrying concealed shields and weapons, and the stuff started being hurled at the building, there were rocks and various other things being thrown at the building, eventually the ground floor was breached and I was evacuated,” Yiannopoulos told Fox News.

“The left [is] terrified of anyone who they think might be persuasive, or might be interesting, or might take people with them.

“I am not a scary, far-right neo-Nazi as some of the posters claim — they put those things on posters to legitimise their own violence against me and my supporters — instead I am just a sort of libertarian, gay, Trump-supporting provocateur who likes to present interesting arguments.

“No one’s safety is at risk from different opinions. No one’s physical safety is endangered by political ideas from a speaker on campus, but universities have sort of allowed this stuff to happen, and even in some cases encouraged it.”

The protests started peacefully, but as night fell, the crowd swelled to more than 1500 and “more than 100 armed individuals clad in ninja-like uniforms who utilized paramilitary tactics” infiltrated the crowd and began hurling commercial grade fireworks, molotov cocktails, rocks and other objects at police, school spokesman Dan Moguluf told the Associated Press.

They toppled the metal barricades and used them to bash windows of the student union and then set fire to a kerosene generator, sparking a blaze that burned for over an hour.

Later that night, after the crowds dispersed, a small group took the chaos off campus and into the nearby city streets of Berkeley.

“It was not a proud night for this campus,” Mr Moguluf said. “We are proud of our history and legacy as the home of the free speech movement.”

Officials knew there was a potential for violence and went to “extraordinary lengths” to prepare for the event, Mr Moguluf said. School authorities believe the instigators were not Berkeley students.

Some criticised Berkeley mayor Jesse Arreguin for appearing to condone the violence. “Using speech to silence marginalised communities and promote bigotry is unacceptable,” he tweeted. “Hate speech isn’t welcome in our community.”

He later issued a statement condemning the violence for providing “the ultranationalist far right exactly the images they want to use to try to discredit the vast majority of peaceful protesters”.

Lawyer and author Mike Cernovich flagged possible legal action against the city. “If you were a victim of violence at the Berkeley riots, DM me,” he tweeted. “We are reaching out to lawyers for a civil rights lawsuit.”

Revised statement to reflect updated information. pic.twitter.com/w9iykrWveB — Jesse Arreguin (@JesseArreguin) February 2, 2017

Civil Rights section of FBI has opened an investigation into mayor @JesseArreguin, for inciting riots and ordering to police to stand down. pic.twitter.com/uy5EbgcvSm — Mike Cernovich 🇺🇸 (@Cernovich) February 2, 2017

Workers at several banks downtown were replacing broken windows Thursday, repairing damaged cash machines and cleaning graffiti from brick walls.

Amid the clean-up, a 21-year-old student who supports Mr Trump was attacked on campus. The student, Jack Palkovic, was wearing a “Make America Great Again” cap as he headed to class when a white SUV slammed to a halt, and two students jumped out and pommeled him. Police arrived and arrested both men.

The unrest sparked a debate Thursday on the floor of the state Senate, where Republicans bemoaned what they characterised as a campus culture that devalues free speech, the Associated Press reported.

“Universities should be the most open, the most welcoming harbour of all ideas, left or right,” Republican state Senator Ted Gaines said. “But they have turned into rigid ideological prisons where stepping outside the latest progressive liberal path is considered a thought crime.”

But Democrats condemned Mr Trump’s threat to withdraw the funding, saying administrators worked hard to facilitate the speech and only cancelled it once the security became untenable

“Today, it’s academic freedom,” Democratic state Senator Scott Wiener said. “Tomorrow, Lord knows what it’s going to be, and it has to stop.”

frank.chung@news.com.au

— with AP