UC Berkeley administrators say a right-wing campus group has not complied with posted deadlines and protocols for a large gathering of conservatives scheduled for the coming weeks.
The group, called Berkeley Patriot, had been promoting the ‘Free Speech Week’ event, but failed to provide evidence that speakers listed on schedules are actually planning to attend, according to the university.
The result is that Berkeley Patriot will not be able to use two large indoor venues, Zellerbach Auditorium and Wheeler Auditorium.
Right-wing authors Milo Yiannopolous and Ann Coulter as well as former White House strategist Steve Bannon were the most notable names advertised, but others on the list publicly stated they had not been contacted about appearing. Charles Murray, who had been named on the speakers’ list told the Chronicle of Higher Education that he was never contacted about the event and said, “I would never under any circumstances appear at an event that included Milo Yiannopoulos.”
Berkeley Patriot members did not return text messages seeking comment to KQED.
Mogulof told KQED that Berkeley Patriot did not meet a deadline to pay the University for use of the larger theater spaces they requested.
“The University cannot defend spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to provide security arrangements for events based on a press release and inconsistent schedules,” university spokesperson Dan Mogulof wrote in a statement. “The campus will require Berkeley Patriot to confirm the details of itâs 10 remaining proposed events in the coming days.”
“To be clear, Berkeley Patriot may still continue with planning it’s ‘Free Speech Week’ if it’s able to confirm it’s speakers, confirm it’s schedules, and comply with UCPD’s security requirements,” Mogulof added.
Almost as soon as the University statement was released, conservative author and provocateur Milo Yiannopolous told the Los Angeles Times that Mogulofâs claims were “a total lie” and that the notice was an “attempt to force cancellation with impossible demands at the last minute.”
In a phone conversation with KQED, Mogulof disputed that claim, and noted that the group can still hold an event at smaller venues if they meet deadlines.
“Nobodyâs shutting him down,” Mogulof said. “We extended the deadline, we extended the deadline, and we extended the deadline. They didnât meet the deadline.”
Asked what would happen should Yiannapolous or others show up on campus without the proper approvals in place, Mogulof declined to answer.
“I’m not going to speculate on that,” Mogulof told KQED. “We’re trying to help them meet their deadlines. They have failed to do that.”
On social media, right-wing commenters criticized UC Berkeley for releasing the news on a Saturday afternoon, suggesting the university is trying to bury the news that the group cannot use the space they requested, despite public statements from top administrators that the participants were welcome.
“They had a deadline at five o’clock [Friday],” Mogulof said. “Because they have legal counsel, everything we put out has to go through legal counsel. But it was a really clear deadline. They didn’t make it.”
Mogoluf noted that an event on Thursday featuring former Breitbart News editor Ben Shapiro went ahead as scheduled after police and officials were able to put appropriate security precautions in place. Those security measures are estimated to have cost $600,000.
A fire burns on UC Berkeley’s Sproul Plaza during protest against an appearance by Breitbart News commentator Milo Yiannopolous. (Brittany Hosea-Small/UC Berkeley)
Hard-right, anti-government and white nationalist groups have been targeting  UC Berkeley and the surrounding city as a place of demonstration since the 2016 election. That includes the near-riot in the streets of Berkeley in February after an event featuring Yiannopolous was canceled due to safety concerns.
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