Four UC Berkeley students were arrested early Monday on felony vandalism charges after attempting to hang a 5-foot-tall cardboard bug from the university's iconic Sather Gate as part of a protest against an upcoming event by the conservative group Turning Point USA. According to campus officials, the students—believed to be mostly undergraduates—were apprehended by university police and booked into Santa Rita Jail, reports the Daily Californian.
Police cited the students under California's felony vandalism statutes, which cover damage to property exceeding $400, while jail records also cite a broader penal code that encompasses defacement with graffiti or other materials. The Alameda County district attorney hasn't yet filed formal charges.
The protest targeted TPUSA ahead of a sold-out event Monday evening at Berkeley that featured comedian Rob Schneider and Christian author Frank Turek, per the Berkeley Scanner. Demonstrators reportedly put up posters featuring inflammatory quotes attributed to the group's late founder, Charlie Kirk—including one reading, "Black women do not have the brain processing power to be taken seriously"; more on that here—and placed other signs denouncing hate on campus. Kirk was killed on a Utah college campus two months ago.
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Bail was set at $20,000 for three of the students and $10,000 for the fourth. Their arraignment is scheduled for Thursday in Oakland. Meanwhile, KCRA reports that at least three other individuals were arrested later Monday after violence broke out outside the TPUSA event. The outlet notes it's unclear if those arrested were students.
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