Demonstrations surrounding a Turning Point USA tour stop at the University of California, Berkeley on November 10, 2025, led to fights and several arrests outside Zellerbach Hall, and one attendee was hospitalized. Federal officials said the Department of Justice is reviewing the university’s handling of the event.
Protesters and attendees clashed outside UC Berkeley’s Zellerbach Hall on November 10 during the concluding stop of Turning Point USA’s campus tour, which featured comedian Rob Schneider and other speakers. Campus and local media reported multiple altercations and detentions; a 45-year-old man was taken to a hospital after being struck in the head by a thrown glass container. Inside, the program proceeded as scheduled. (calmatters.org)
UC Berkeley said there was a substantial security presence from university police, private security, and regional law enforcement. The university added it is conducting a full review and would cooperate with federal authorities. Protesters later encircled parts of the plaza and some exits as attendees left. (calmatters.org)
Federal authorities have launched an inquiry into the unrest. Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon said the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division would investigate, and Attorney General Pam Bondi indicated the FBI-led Joint Terrorism Task Force is involved. UC Berkeley has been asked to preserve records related to planning and security for the event, according to coverage of a DOJ letter. (sfchronicle.com)
Attendance inside Zellerbach was estimated at roughly 900 people, according to Politico, while hundreds of demonstrators gathered nearby. Speakers included Schneider and author Frank Turek. (politico.com)
Law enforcement actions spanned the day. Earlier on November 10, four students were arrested on suspicion of felony vandalism after an attempted protest installation at Sather Gate. During the evening, Berkeley police arrested a man after a street fight that began with an alleged necklace theft; campus police also reported two additional arrests for nonviolent offenses. The university said some objects, including containers of paint, were thrown toward officers holding a perimeter. (calmatters.org)
The event capped a tour that, since September, has often served as a memorial to TPUSA founder Charlie Kirk, who was shot and killed on September 10, 2025, while speaking at Utah Valley University. A 22-year-old suspect not enrolled at UVU was later arrested and charged in the case. (apnews.com)
The Berkeley unrest echoed past campus flashpoints over controversial speakers. In 2018, UC Berkeley settled litigation with Young America’s Foundation and the Berkeley College Republicans stemming from 2017 events, revising event policies and paying $70,000 in attorneys’ fees while denying viewpoint discrimination. (news.berkeley.edu)