DOJ Vows To Investigate UC Berkeley Over Turning Point Protest

BERKELEY, CA — The Department of Justice announced Tuesday that it would investigate UC Berkeley following a protest on Monday afternoon, where demonstrators protested the provocative final stop of the Turning Point USA tour on campus.

Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon said on X that the DOJ's Civil Rights Department would look into "several issues of serious concern" she saw from videos of the protest. In the post, she referred to protestors as members of "Antifa," a left-wing, anti-fascist group.

"UC Berkeley and the City of Berkeley should expect some incoming civil rights
correspondence. And more," Dhillon said on X Tuesday morning. "In America, we do not allow citizens to be attacked by violent thugs and shrug and turn our backs. Been there, done that, not on our watch."

RELATED: Final Stop Of Turning Point USA Tour Draws Protesters At UC Berkeley

Dan Mogulof, a UC Berkeley spokesperson, told Patch that the university will conduct its own investigation and assist federal authorities in identifying any "outside agitators" that tried to disrupt the Turning Point USA event.

"UC Berkeley condemns all violence and will hold accountable anyone who violates the law or campus regulations," university officials said in a statement Tuesday afternoon. "The University is firmly committed to an open and robust marketplace of ideas and to maintaining a campus where people of all beliefs and perspectives can feel safe and respected."

Hundreds of Charlie Kirk supporters attended the final stop of the Turning Point Tour at UC Berkeley's Zellerbach Hall on Monday afternoon. Protesters gathered outside the campus along Bancroft Way, shouting their disapproval of UC Berkeley administrators and attendees.

Campus police and California Highway Patrol officers formed lines between the protesters and the plaza where Zellerbach Hall is located.

At least one fight broke out during the protest, and two people were arrested on suspicion of battery by the Berkeley Police Department, Mogulof said.

University officials on Tuesday said the fight started when a 25-year-old Oakland man took another man's chain from his neck. The man was trying to get his chain back when the assault happened, according to officials.

The 25-year-old, identified as Jihad Dphrepaulezz, remains in custody in connection with the assault. The man Kirk supporter has since been released without charges, police said.

The case against Dphrepaulezz has been forwarded to the Alameda County District Attorney's Office, authorities said.

At least two other people were seen by reporters being detained by campus police. University officials identified the people arrested by campus police as a 48-year-old man with no affiliation to the school and a 22-year-old Berkeley student.

The 48-year-old was booked into Santa Rita Jail on suspicion of trespassing and resisting arrest. The student was arrested on suspicion of resisting arrest and trespassing. The student was cited and released, university officials said.

Andrew Kolvet, a spokesperson for Turning Point USA, condemned the protesters on X, calling them "antifa thugs" who tried to stop the tour with tear gas, fireworks and glass bottles.

Reporters did not see any tear gas or loud fireworks being deployed. At some point, a smoke bomb was thrown into the crowd of protesters, but it is unclear who ignited it.

"This is not okay," Kolvert said in another post on X, quoting a video of the Charlie Kirk supporters trying to get through a crowd of shouting protesters. "Whatever laws have to be passed, whatever policies, procedures, or executive orders … this must stop. Smash Antifa."

Protesters remained mostly peaceful throughout the night. Chase Goldberg, a Berkeley student attending the protest, said it was an opportunity to speak for people whose voices have been deliberately silenced by Charlie Kirk's and other conservatives' rhetoric.

"That kind of misrepresentation has done a lot of damage to people, to people's lives," Goldberg said. "I need to be able to represent my own free speech rights and stand in solidarity with the people who may not have the same chance."

This story was updated with more information from UC Berkeley officials.