FBI-Led Joint Terrorism Task Force to Investigate Violent Anti-TPUSA Riot at UC Berkeley

Original article here

Attorney General Pam Bondi announced Tuesday that the Department of Justice has launched a full investigation into the hellish riot that marred a conservative event at UC Berkeley, Monday night, and vowed to hold every agitator who committed political violence accountable.

A crazed Antifa mob terrorized the conservative attendees of a Turning Point USA (TPUSA) event at UC Berkeley, resulting in multiple arrests and injuries.

“Antifa is an existential threat to our nation,”  Bondi declared in a statement posted on social media.

“The violent riots at UC Berkeley last night are under full investigation by the FBI-led Joint Terrorism Task Force. We will continue to spare no expense unmasking all who commit and orchestrate acts of political violence,” Bondi stated.

The event,  featuring Rob Schneider and Frank Turek, was the organization’s final campus tour stop following the murder of its founder, Charlie Kirk on September 10. On the two-month anniversary of the assassination, TPUSA intended to honor Kirk’s legacy and promote conservative values on college campuses.

Separated by barricades and a line of riot police, about 100 organized agitators chanted, heckled and hurled glass bottles, paint, smoke bombs and other fireworks at the young conservatives as they entered and exited the venue.

Masked and keffiyeh-clad agitators reportedly chanted “death to America” and described the U.S. as a “fascist state” and a “terror state.”

“Anywhere, any place, punch a fascist in the face!” one leftist chanted.

After the event concluded, the demonic agitators reportedly blocked most of the exits and then swarmed and harassed attendees who found the one unblocked exit, according to Frontlines TPUSA.

They yelled “Do the world a favor and kill yourself” and “Your lives mean nothing,” “f-ck you fascists” at the young conservatives as they exited the venue.

At one point, a woman can be seen in video footage guiding her two horrified teenage daughters through the screeching gauntlet of Antifa agitators.

The TPUSA Frontlines X account described the scene as “a war zone.”

“Under President Trump’s leadership, and pursuant to his Executive Order designating Antifa as a domestic terrorist organization, the Department of Justice and our law-enforcement partners are dismantling violent networks that seek to intimidate Americans and suppress their free expression and First Amendment rights,” the Bondi said in her statement Tuesday evening.

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche shared the AG’s post and added simply: “domestic terrorists.”

Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon had promised earlier on X that the DOJ Civil Rights Division would “investigate what happened here.”

She updated on X later Tuesday, posting the letter she sent to UC Berkeley President James Milliken asking him to preserve all of the university’s records pertaining to the TPUSA event.

“Mob assault and thuggish intimidation of attendees exercising their First Amendment rights are unacceptable,” Dhillon wrote. “The Civil Rights Division, under AG Pam Bondi is initiating a full investigation into the potential failures at UC Berkeley and any who enabled such violence.”

UC Berkeley released an official statement addressing the political violence that disrupted the TPUSA event on Nov. 10, vowing to conduct an investigation and cooperate with any federal investigations looking into any “outside agitators” who came in prepared for violence:

“UC Berkeley condemns all violence and will hold accountable anyone who violates the law or campus regulations. 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,” the university stated.

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There is no place at UC Berkeley for attempts to use violence or intimidation to prevent lawful expression or chill free speech. The University is conducting a full investigation and intends to fully cooperate with and assist any federal investigations and the FBI-led Joint Terrorism Task Force to identify the outside agitators responsible for attempting to disrupt last night’s TPUSA event. UC Berkeley will take all appropriate steps to safeguard the right of every member of our community to speak and assemble freely.

Thanks to the dedication and cooperation of numerous University, state, and local police officers, the efforts to prevent last night’s event did not succeed. Instead, the TPUSA event proceeded safely and without interruption, with more than 900 participants in attendance. Several arrests were made in connection with the event by both city and university police. UC Berkeley appreciates and commends the officers and staff who helped preserve both public safety and freedom of speech on our campus. The University remains steadfast in its commitment to uphold open dialogue, respect, and the rule of law.”

Update:

During an appearance on Fox News, Tuesday night, Dhillon said criminal charges are being considered as the DOJ investigates both the university and local police.

“It is NOT a both sides problem. When a violent mob like Antifa comes in attacks like this, it’s what we call a heckler’s veto. In First Amendment jurisprudence, and given the fact that there has now been a terrorist designation here, the Joint Terrorism Task Force is going to be looking into this together with the DOJ and the FBI,” she told Ingraham Angle host Laura Ingraham.

Dhillon said hate crime statutes apply to what transpired in Berkeley, Monday evening.

“I believe that some of the epithets that were hurled at some of the members of the crowd made reference to their race and to other protected characteristics under the law,” she explained. “We will be obviously looking at a deep dive into all the potential criminal and civil aspects of this.”

I also have concerns about UC Berkeley’s history of not protecting conservative speakers on the campus. And I also have concerns as the top civil rights lawyer in the United States, about whether the Berkeley Police are doing their job under the law to protect citizens equally.

That’s an equal protection concern. It’s the type of thing that we do bring in the Civil Rights Division. And we are going to be looking at that very seriously here in this case.