Berkeley cancels Ann Coulter speech over threats of violence

Violent protesters—or at least the threat of them—successfully persuaded the University of California, Berkeley to cancel another speech organized by conservatives. University officials announced last night they would no longer allow right-wing firebrand Ann Coulter to give a presentation on illegal immigration scheduled for next week. A spokesman said the university could not guarantee the safety of Coulter, the students, or protesters who planned to rally at the event. Coulter took to Twitter to lambast the decision as an attack on free speech. University officials faced similar accusations in February, when protesters smashed windows and set fires to shut down a speech by former Breitbart News editor Milo Yiannopoulos. The melee caused about $100,000 in damage. On Saturday, violent clashes erupted in downtown Berkeley at a rally supporting President Donald Trump. University officials said they had reason to believe the same groups that organized the response to both Yiannopoulos and the Trump rally planned to target Coulter as well.