BERKELEY, Calif. — On this famously liberal campus, it is easy to dismiss Berkeley Republicans as an oxymoron. Being a Republican at the University of California, Berkeley, is hard, conservative students say, a crucible of ideological combat. Some said they had been mocked, spat on and punched.

Founded in the 1960s, the Berkeley College Republicans have remained a small and tightknit club, today numbering a few dozen active members. But Republican alumni have gone on to prominent jobs: Michael Anton is a senior national security official in the Trump administration. Alex Marlow is editor in chief of Breitbart News. Claire Chiara, a graduating senior and past president of the Berkeley College Republicans, was one of the youngest delegates to the Republican National Convention last year.

The College Republicans made national headlines in recent weeks when the group invited Ann Coulter, the right-wing writer and provocateur, to speak. In February, anarchist protesters had violently broken up a planned speech on campus by the right-wing journalist Milo Yiannopoulos, and the university’s administration and the club haggled over a date and a “protectable” venue for Ms. Coulter; she ended up not coming.

Berkeley’s Republicans have turned the tables on liberals at the campus, championing free speech and putting a conservative claim on one of the university’s proudest liberal legacies. Last month, the group and another conservative student organization sued administrators for what they said was discrimination against conservative speakers. They have co-opted the language of the left, portraying themselves as fighting intolerance. Not all Berkeley Republicans agree with their tactics — some describe it as unnecessarily provocative.