Mere hours ahead of conservative author and Daily Wire Editor-in-Chief Ben Shapiro’s speech at the University of California in Berkeley, left-wing naysayers unhappy with a conservative presence on their campus are combatting “hate” the best way they know how – by writing angry messages in sidewalk chalk.
VIDEO: lot of anger & tension on the @UCBerkeley campus today, ahead of tonight's speech by @benshapiro. Chalk graffiti will "welcome" him pic.twitter.com/rG4wnuuyjw
— Doug Sovern (@SovernNation) September 14, 2017
Chalk writings outside the venue for tonight's speech by @benshapiro at #UCBerkeley. Protests expected. Police barriers are up. @CBSSF pic.twitter.com/2NZxAbgH1d
— Anne Makovec (@AnneMakovec) September 14, 2017
The university is also setting up concrete barricades ahead of Shapiro’s arrival in anticipation of mass protests by legal adults who think not getting what they want is an excuse to throw Molotov cocktails through car windows.
Concrete barriers in place to restrict access to tonight's @benshapiro speech at Cal. Streets already closed. Cops visible. #BenAtBerkeley pic.twitter.com/1EJxezUxku
— Doug Sovern (@SovernNation) September 14, 2017
The aggressive doodling comes after Berkeley campus officials announced they’d be making counseling services available to students and faculty who may feel unsafe with a conservative speaker giving a talk at their school.
“We are deeply concerned about the impact some speakers may have on individuals’ sense of safety and belonging,” the school said earlier this week in a statement. “No one should be made to feel threatened or harassed simply because of who they are or for what they believe.”
Apparently, this commitment doesn’t extend to conservatives who may feel threatened or harassed simply because of what they believe – even if such harassment only comes in the form of pouty words scrawled in cartoon letters on the asphalt.
Thankfully, first-grade shenanigans don't appear to be having an intimidating effect on Shapiro, who still very much plans to show up on campus and give his speech (it's at 10 p.m. ET on Thursday, by the way -- piss off a snowflake and live stream it here).
Oh no not chalk what will I do https://t.co/QVuyLTdX04
— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) September 14, 2017
Someone ought to tell the critics that if they’re going to protest someone’s presence on campus, they should at least be able to spell his name.
Graffiti prevalent around Cal campus. Apparently some #Antifa can't spell @benshapiro.#BenAtBerkeley pic.twitter.com/t1uhiIp3uu
— Doug Sovern (@SovernNation) September 14, 2017