Page 32 - ARUBA TODAY

A32 FEATURE
Thursday 31 augusT 2017
Birthplace of free speech movement braces for possible fight

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — swarmed the park and city
The California city that workers erected a fence
birthed the American free around it. He and several
speech movement is pre- other people scheduled
paring for potential clashes to speak at the rally were
even though the person forced to travel to a suburb
behind a right-wing rally to hold their news confer-
scheduled for Sunday has ence. Will Johnson, who
pleaded with supporters to is African American, said
stay away, saying that she he is obviously not a white
fears violence. supremacist and was frus-
The “No to Marxism in trated about the use of the
America” rally in downtown term in connection with
Berkeley comes a day after Patriot Prayer and the rally.
a controversial freedom ral- “We’re here in the middle
ly planned by a right-wing of nowhere because we
group fizzled amid throngs don’t want the violence,”
of counter-protesters in San he said.
Francisco. San Francisco The pivots by the group
Mayor Ed Lee declared didn’t deter more than
victory over a group he 1,000 left-wing counter-pro-
branded as inviting hate. testers from descending on
Both Amber Cummings Alamo Square park, where
and Patriot Prayer leader they suspected right-wing
Joey Gibson have repeat- A protester holds up a sign outside of Alamo Square Park in San Francisco, Saturday, Aug. 26, supporters still might show
edly denounced racism. 2017. up. Student activism was
Cummings canceled her Associated Press born during the 1960s
Sunday event and Gibson rally at Civic Center Park. that Marxism is the real evil ment issued via Facebook, free-speech movement at
called off his Saturday rally Berkeley Mayor Jesse Ar- and that members of the saying that she had “grave Berkeley, when thousands
late Friday, saying that de- reguin has urged counter- anti-fascist movement are concerns for the safety of of students at the university
monization by mayors in protesters to stay away. terrorists. “I’m not safe to the people attending my mobilized to demand that
both cities and left-wing ex- Berkeley police were plan- walk down the road with
tremists made it impossible ning for a number of con- an American flag in this
to speak out. tingencies, police spokes- county,” she said to report-
Cummings said she would woman Jenn Coats said in ers in Berkeley last week,
be the sole attendee. In a an email Saturday. The city her face covered with a
message to the media Sat- has banned a long list of bandana to make a point
urday she said she might items from the park, includ- about masked anti-fascist
be forced to cancel if she ing baseball bats, dogs members.
is not provided police pro- and skateboards. People “We’ve had enough,” she
tection. at the park are also not al- said. “We have the right to
It’s uncertain if supporters— lowed to cover their faces speak patriotism, we have
or opponents— will show with scarves or bandanas. the right to speak about
up. The left-wing group Cummings is a transgen- our country. We have the
By Any Means Necessary, der woman and supporter right to be proud of our
which has been involved in of President Donald Trump country.”
violent confrontations, had who has said on social me- Cummings called off her
vowed to shut down the dia and in media interviews event in a lengthy state-

U.S. Park Police officers patrol Crissy Field near the Golden Gate
Bridge in San Francisco, Saturday, Aug. 26, 2017.
Associated Press

event.” Asked Saturday
whether he had any plans the school drop its ban on
to go to Berkeley, Gibson, political activism.
the leader of Patriot Prayer, However, the deadly con-
said he would “analyze the frontation in Charlottesville,
situation.” Gibson down- Virginia, on Aug. 12 during
graded his Saturday rally a rally of white supremacists
into a news conference at led San Francisco police
Andrea Smith holds up a sign in front of a fence blocking an entrance to Alamo Square Park in a San Francisco park, but and civil leaders to rethink
San Francisco, Saturday, Aug. 26, 2017. Associated Press was thwarted when police their response to protests.q