UC President Janet Napolitano wades into campus free speech debate

University of California president Janet Napolitano during a joint legislative oversight hearing on Tuesday, May 2, 2017, at the California State Capitol in Sacramento, Calif. A state audit found the Napolitano's office collected at least $175 million in secret reserve funds. less University of California president Janet Napolitano during a joint legislative oversight hearing on Tuesday, May 2, 2017, at the California State Capitol in Sacramento, Calif. A state audit found the ... more Photo: Santiago Mejia, The Chronicle Buy photo Photo: Santiago Mejia, The Chronicle Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close UC President Janet Napolitano wades into campus free speech debate 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

Misinformation and bigotry are proliferating and threatening American democracy, University of California President Janet Napolitano said Thursday in an address to political science academics.

The UC leader waded into the issue of free speech on college campuses, too, saying that controversial, right-wing figures such as Milo Yiannopoulos want to provoke universities and their students, not engage in meaningful debate or discourse.

And although Napolitano said that white supremacy cannot be tolerated, she stopped short of saying that people with such views should be denied platforms on UC campuses.

Her remarks at the American Political Science Association’s conference in San Francisco came ahead of a conservative UC Berkeley student group’s “Free Speech Week” next month, which Berkeley Mayor Jesse Arreguin asked the campus Monday to cancel in the wake of anarchist violence.

“I can appreciate the mayor’s concerns,” Napolitano told The Chronicle after the address. “I think the chancellor made the right call — that the speakers will be allowed to come. There will be a lot of law enforcement planning.”

The Berkeley campus and surrounding city have become an arena this year for clashes featuring far-right speakers and groups, and those on the left hoping to shut them down.

Over the weekend, a gathering in downtown Berkeley of thousands of peaceful protesters who had come to oppose a right-wing rally was marred when masked, black-clad demonstrators among them attacked the people they thought were on the other side. It was the fourth such battle in the city this year.

On the campus itself, new UC Berkeley Chancellor Carol Christ has vowed to allow any speech without regard for ideology. That includes conservative columnist Ben Shapiro, who plans to speak Sept. 14 to the Berkeley College Republicans. His invitation came after speaking engagements by right-wing pundits Yiannopoulos and Ann Coulter were derailed earlier this year — in one case by a riot and in the other by what campus officials said was deficient planning.

In a letter to students and faculty last week, Christ declared 2017 a “free speech year” and said that divergent views are fundamental to democracy and higher education.

Napolitano struck a more somber tone in her keynote address. In response to a question about threats against professors who engage in public debates, the former Arizona governor and ex-Homeland Security secretary said, “We’re in a real fight for our country now. … And there’s no fight without some risk.”

She said that while some figures hoping to speak on UC campuses have “abhorrent” views, universities should respond by setting the facts straight and creating opportunities for civil debates.

“I’m asking that each of you determine the best means, beyond your research and work in the classroom, to help the public distinguish between evil, long-discredited ideologies and the voices of reason, tolerance and moderation,” Napolitano said in her speech. “This is a unique time of false equivalencies, when real news is labeled fake news, and fake news is spun as the truth.”

Kimberly Veklerov is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: kveklerov@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @kveklerov