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Eight Arrested After Attack on Cal Chancellor's House
Between 40 and 75 people marched to Birgeneau's home near the northwest corner of campus at about 11 p.m. Friday night. Some wielded torches that were allegedly thrown at police, while others broke the outside lighting to the house, overturned planters, damaged "impact resistant" windows on the house and scattered garbage brought from a nearby student housing cooperative, police said. The group dispersed after UCPD officers arrived on the scene following a call from Birgeneau at 11:14 p.m., according to a UCPD statement on the incident. According to Mogulof, all of the eight arrested were being held at Santa Rita Jail in Dublin. All are charged with rioting, threatening an education official, attempted burglary, attempted arson of an occupied building, felony vandalism and assault with a deadly weapon on a police officer. The eight were all issued exclusion orders which bar them from returning to campus, police said. Mogulof said the attack was a disturbing development in a student-led movement against the campus and university administrations' handling of record budget shortfalls. "This is what it looks like when a student group gets hijacked by extreme and violent elements in its ranks," he said. "There is no place in our community for such extremism. They now need to decide which path they will take going forward. ... If they elect to continue on this path of violence and extremism, we will spare no effort to identify and remove them from our community." Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said in a statement Saturday that the attack was an act of terrorism. "California will not tolerate any type of terrorism against any leaders including educators," he said in the statement. "The attack on Chancellor Birgeneau's home is a criminal act and those who participated will be prosecuted under the fullest extent of the law. Debate is the foundation of democracy and I encourage protesters to find peaceful and productive ways to express their opinions." UC Berkeley students involved in the student movement, which opposes a recent 32 percent increase in student fees as well as an alleged privatization of the university, said the attack was not representative of their cause. Posted by: Steve White 2009-12-14 |
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