Stay Away From Berkeley, City Officials Advise

BERKELEY, CA — A right-wing rally and counter demonstration are planned in Berkeley for Aug. 27. The message from the City of Berkeley: stay away!

The plea comes after demonstrations in Berkeley earlier this year that devolved into riots. There were injuries and destruction of property - both downtown and on the UC Berkeley campus.

The rally scheduled and permitted for Aug. 27 is especially worrisome for city officials after last weekend's
Charlottesville, Virginia, rally turned deadly when a man drove a car into a crowd of counter-protesters, killing a woman and injuring 19 others.

Berkeley city officials said there is no evidence of organizational connections between that rally and the one planned in Berkeley.

In a statement Wednesday, officials from the Berkeley City Manager's Office said the best response for those seeking to safeguard the community is to stay away. "Doing so prevents those on the fringe from garnering attention to their causes, which is their primary goal. It also allows police to focus resources on those who might do damage to others or to the city," the statement said.

City officials are also asking the public to not create alternative events near the downtown area. A counter-protest, "Bay Area Rally Against Hate," has already been scheduled at UC Berkeley for earlier in the day on Aug. 27.

"Even if peaceful, nearby counter-events take police officers away from those intent on committing violence or damage," the statement said.

City officials said that extremists often provoke counter-protesters as a way to generate publicity for their cause and said, "The best way to deny them the attention they seek is to not engage and avoid such events entirely."

Previous coverage:

• Rioters Damage Property At UC Berkeley, Downtown Berkeley, Paint 'Kill Trump' Graffiti
• A planned speech by Milo Yiannopoulos was canceled because of concerns over safety.
• UC Berkeley Sustains $100,000 Damage From Rioters

• "They...provided the ultra-nationalist far right exactly the images they want...," Berkeley Mayor Jesse Arreguin.
• Ten Arrested As Pro- And Anti-Trump Protesters Clash In Berkeley
• The demonstration turned violent. Injuries were reported. The downtown BART station was closed for an hour.
• Berkeley Protest: 20 Arrested, 11 Injured At Saturday's Patriots Day Rally
• The situation in Berkeley turned violent as groups from a demonstration and counter demonstration clashed.
• 5 Arrested By Berkeley Police At Protest
• Thursday's activity surrounded the on again-off again speech by Conservative firebrand Ann Coulter.

— Bay City News contributed to this report; Image by Scott Morrison, BCN

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