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NEW: Bloody Brawl Ensues After Antifa Storms TPUSA Event

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3 weeks ago

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A sold-out TPUSA program at Zellerbach Hall, featuring actor Rob Schneider and Dr. Frank Turek, drew a large counter-protest that escalated into street confrontations outside the venue. On-scene videos and multiple outlets show at least one attendee visibly bloodied amid scuffles as police in riot gear pushed crowds back from barricades. TPUSA figures and allies blamed Antifa-aligned groups for trying to breach lines and intimidate ticket-holders.

Witness accounts describe a chaotic atmosphere punctuated by smoke devices and flares outside the hall. TPUSA’s media arm posted that an “Antifa member” lit a flare, prompting staff to hurry attendees indoors. A passing vehicle then backfired repeatedly, which some in the crowd initially feared were gunshots—a small moment that briefly spiked panic in an already tense scene.

Despite the disorder outside, the program inside reportedly went forward. The university said that recognized student groups may host speakers across the political spectrum, a nod to Berkeley’s free-speech lineage and an attempt to separate campus policy from the street melee. However, photos and video from the perimeter show riot police holding lines as protesters chanted and waved anti-fascist and pro-Palestinian signs.

The lead-up to the event was charged. Organizers of a protest used “Bella Ciao,” which TPUSA framed as an Antifa anthem, as part of their mobilization materials.

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Authorities have said the suspect in Kirk’s assassination, 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, allegedly etched lyrics to “Bella Ciao” onto an unused bullet casing and shouted, “Hey fascist. Catch!” according to investigators.

Given the recent assassination of TPUSA founder Charlie Kirk during a separate tour stop, the organization argued that such symbolism felt like a threat and said it had coordinated closely with law enforcement on security. Berkeley, for its part, pulled in additional UC system officers in anticipation of trouble.

Leaders of Turning Point USA swiftly blamed the violent outbreak on Antifa agitators after footage captured protesters clashing with police and attempting to breach barricades as the group’s campus event began late Monday night.

“Right now at our Turning Point USA campus tour stop at UC Berkeley… Antifa is breaking through police barricades and threatening our event attendees,” TPUSA chief of staff Mikey McCoy said on X.

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Protesters shouted “Fascists out of Berkeley” while waving Palestinian flags and holding signs that read “We won the war, why are there still Nazis” and “No safe space for fascist scum.”

Dozens of police officers formed a perimeter around one entrance, escorting attendees through as helicopters hovered overhead. According to the Daily Californian, at least three people were arrested during the unrest, including two detained following a violent scuffle. Even two hours after the event began, the crowd outside refused to disperse, at one point breaking into chants of “f*ck Charlie Kirk.”

Earlier in the day, police arrested four students for alleged vandalism after they tried to hang a large cardboard bug on a campus gate in protest of the event. Demonstrators wearing keffiyehs — a traditional Arab scarf commonly seen at pro-Palestinian rallies during the Israel-Hamas war — also chanted, “No Trump, no KKK, no fascist USA,” according to Berkeleyside.

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