Far left signals intent to shut down Ben Shapiro’s speech in Berkeley this Thursday

The mayor of Berkeley, Jesse Arreguin, and the governor of California, Jerry Brown, are now on notice that a violent mob will try to shut down a scheduled speech by Ben Shapiro, a well-known conservative. These government executives are charged with the responsibility of maintaining public order and guaranteeing the constitutional rights to free speech and free assembly. They also know from personal experience that mob violence can be expected, because of the damage wright by armed and masked thugs who thwarted those rights in the case of Milo Yiannopoulos. The evidence of the planned disruption is telling. The paramilitary group Refuse Fascism openly labels – with no basis whatsoever – Shapiro as a “fascist” and “white supremacist.” These are the mental excuses their thugs use to justify in their own minds their violent repression of those with whom they disagree. They are laying the basis for violence.

There is no question that the City of Berkeley and the State of California have more than adequate resources to do their duty. Mutual aid acts could bring hundreds of law enforcement officers to the city on Thursday, along with armored vehicles, water cannons, and other resources that could to ensure a speech that is unimpeded by political thuggery. As for the University of California itself, the signs are mixed at best. The new Chancellor Carol Christ has announced that this is the Free Speech Year, which seems to indicate her priorities differ from her predecessor’s. But the University has beclowned itself treating Shapiro as if he is a threat to the mental health of its snowflake students and offering counseling. Any failure to maintain order is on the executives who don't do their duty. I hope and trust AG Sessions is watching with interest.