Following Donald Trump’s entry into the 2016 presidential campaign, many protests have been sprouting sporadically across the U.S., fighting against President Trump. One of these protests happened to take place at UC Berkeley, where Milo Yiannopoulos, a controversial conservative speaker, was scheduled to speak. Two hours before his scheduled appearance, as most local television stations were starting to begin their live broadcasts, a group of about 1,500 protesters formed outside the venue, carrying signs that said things such as “Fascist Free America” and “Refuse Fascism”. They protested peacefully, marching around and shouting chants similar to the phrases on their signs.

However, it wasn’t until night fell that a smaller group of about 150 masked individuals abruptly poured in. Dressed like “ninjas”, they marched onto UC Berkeley’s campus armed with bats, steel rods, fireworks, rocks, and Molotov cocktails (grenades). Immediately, the group of agitators began smashing property, hurling smoke bombs, and starting massive bonfires. “They didn’t come to lock arms and sing ‘Kumbaya,’” said Dan Mogulof, assistant vice chancellor and spokesman for UC Berkeley. “They came to [mess stuff] up,” he said, using coarser language.

Although there were no immediate reports of arrests or serious injuries, the group ended up destroying about $100,000 worth of property, as well as sparking major controversy. After the Yiannopoulos talk was cancelled, Yiannopoulos posted on Facebook, saying the Left was “absolutely terrified of free speech and will do literally anything to shut it down”. As expected, this remark triggered a cascade of responses, including a tweet from Donald Trump, saying “If U.C. Berkeley does not allow free speech and practices violence on innocent people with a different point of view – NO FEDERAL FUNDS?”, which puts UC Berkeley itself at risk. Despite the results, however, this drastic act of violence brings on a pressing question. What does this mean for the path America is currently towards?