The rightwing provocateur’s scheduled event in California was called off after campus police said they were unable to ‘find a safe and suitable’ venue

This article is more than 3 years old

This article is more than 3 years old

Ann Coulter’s planned appearance at the University of California, Berkeley next week has been called off for security concerns, with officials saying they were “unable to find a safe and suitable” venue.



Ann Coulter on Trump: ‘Finally, we have a candidate who cares about Americans’ Read more

The rightwing provocateur was invited by campus Republicans to speak on 27 April about illegal immigration.

In a letter to Berkeley College Republicans sent on Tuesday, vice-chancellor Scott Biddy said officials made the decision in consultation with campus police who determined they could not ensure the safety of Coulter, audience members or protesters expected at the event.

“Given current active security threats, it is not possible to assure that the event could be held successfully,” the letter said.

Coulter fired off an angry stream of tweets on Wednesday vowing to speak as planned.

Ann Coulter (@AnnCoulter) Here's the real story about Berkeley -- WHERE I WILL BE SPEAKING NEXT THURSDAY: https://t.co/EQsiAEWPpW

Later on Wednesday, Coulter said in an interview with Fox News: “What are they going to do? Arrest me? I’m definitely giving the speech.”

University spokesman Dan Mogulof said that campus police learned that some of the groups that appeared to be responsible for the violence last weekend and at an earlier Milo Yiannopoulos event “planned to target the appearance of Ann Coulter on campus”.

Far-right and far-left protesters clashed violently on Saturday at a rally supporting Donald Trump in downtown Berkeley, and in February an appearance at UC Berkeley by Yiannopoulos, a former Breitbart editor, was canceled after protesters rioted outside the event.

Last week, posters went up on campus threatening disruption of the Coulter event and officials also found chatter on various websites indicating the possibility of planned violence, Mogulof said.

In its letter, the university said the students and officials could work together to reschedule the event for a later date. It noted that “most Mondays and Tuesdays in September during the day should work”.

Coulter posted eight tweets in a span of 17 minutes after reports of the cancellation surfaced Wednesday. She called claims of the university trying to set up an alternate date “FAKE NEWS!”

The event was being co-organized by a campus group called BridgeCal and the Young America’s Foundation, a conservative group that books Coulter’s campus speeches.



“We have no intention of acceding to these unconstitutional acts,” the Young America’s Foundation said in a statement. “The Ann Coulter lecture …. will go forward.”







