Photo: KFBK News Radio
An event at UC Davis, run by a conservative student group, was abruptly canceled Tuesday after a brawl broke out that led to some people being pepper sprayed. A video is making rounds online that shows a confrontation between a protester and what appears to be a cop. UC Davis officials say none of their staff was deployed to the brawl or used pepper spray. The event was organized by student organization affiliate "Turning Point USA" and claim Stephen Davis was set to speak on campus. The fight erupted with upwards of 100 protesters and counter protesters. Some in the brawl may have been wearing Proud Boys apparel. About 30 students inside the campus' conference center were evacuated after some people involved in the brawl used barricades to hit the glass of the center.
UC Davis officials denied an interview request with KCRA 3 but sent this statement:
"Hateful words are protected by the First Amendment. Calls for harm to others or acts of violence are not… As a public university, we are committed to the First Amendment, and we are required to uphold it. We affirm the right of our students — in this instance, Turning Point USA at UC Davis — to invite speakers to our campus, just as we affirm the right of others to protest speakers whose views they find upsetting or offensive."