At least eight individuals were arrested on Monday during an event hosted by Turning Point USA at the University of California, Berkeley. Four of those arrested were university students, reportedly women aged 20 to 22, who were charged with felony criminal damage to property, although their names were not disclosed.
Details from the Santa Rita County Jail indicate that these arrests took place early on Monday morning. Dan Moguloff, the assistant vice chancellor for communications at UC Berkeley, confirmed this information. The students were reportedly involved in an attempt to hang a large cardboard bug outside Sather Gate, a notable campus landmark, as part of their protest.
In California, any property damage exceeding $400 can lead to serious felony charges. The Turning Point event showcased actor Rob Schneider and author Frank Turek, who was a mentor to the organization’s late founder, Charlie Kirk. Many left-wing activists gathered at Zellerbach Hall, the venue for this leg of the “This Is the Turning Point” tour.
A confrontation occurred around 4:30 p.m. local time between a Turning Point supporter and counter-protesters, resulting in at least two additional arrests by the Berkeley Police Department by 6 p.m. A police spokesperson mentioned that one of those arrested was suspected of assault, though further details were not provided.
Moguloff confirmed that two more individuals were taken into custody for nonviolent offenses, with their affiliations to the university still unclear. He indicated that, before the scuffle, there was no violence reported; rather, the arrests involved individuals who refused police orders to vacate the area.
The recent uptick in attention toward Turning Point follows the tragic assassination of Kirk during a speech at Utah Valley University on September 10. This incident has sparked significant interest in the organization among students nationwide, although it also has drawn criticism and mockery from some of its opponents.
