BERKELEY, Calif. _ Right-wing provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos was greeted by dozens of counterprotesters Sunday as he arrived on the campus of the University of California, Berkeley, campus for what turned out to be a very brief speech.
Yiannopoulos and his entourage showed up shortly after noon at Sproul Plaza on campus and were jeered by a large group of counterdemonstrators. The crowd included a smaller contingent of Trump supporters.
Security was tight and only about 100 people were allowed into the plaza after passing through metal detectors.
Yiannopoulos spoke briefly to the crowd, sang the national anthem and posed for selfies with supporters before he was escorted away. The entire event lasted about 20 minutes.
Surrounded by reporters, body guards and screaming protesters, Yiannopoulos later said he had accomplished his mission.
"The purpose of today was to show up on campus no matter what and to let them know we'll be back as many times as it will take," he said.
He said he was pleased with the way things turned out Sunday, saying the event "was fine. It was great."
Yiannopoulos announced Saturday that he would hold his own forum at the university after the organizers of a far-right speakers series on the campus canceled their event, which was supposed to begin Sunday.
"We are unable to hold an official UC Berkeley speaking event," Yiannopoulos said. "So we're going to host an unofficial one."
The Free Speech Week event seemed to be in trouble in recent days as organizers failed to meet Berkeley's deadlines for renting indoor venues on campus, while at the same time some scheduled speakers either canceled plans to attend or said they never agreed to appear.
Yiannopoulos, who struggled to help organize the festival, said he still planned to speak on Sunday at Sproul Plaza, where the university's free-speech movement began. The campus has become the national staging ground for confrontations between the right and left.
By 11 a.m. Sunday, dozens of counterprotesters from the group Refuse Fascism and others began gathering near the plaza, chanting "No Trump, No KKK, No Fascist USA." They faced off with Trump supporters, some wearing red hats emblazoned with the slogan "Make America Great Again," as police in riot gear stood nearby.
Campus police set up barricades around the plaza, where backpacks, frozen fruits and other items that could possibly used as weapons were banned.
Christopher Corsi said he drove overnight from Phoenix to Berkeley for the chance to see Yiannopoulos. He said he loves how "absolutely outrageous" Yiannopoulos is and how he riles up the left. He said he hopes Yiannopoulos gets the chance to speak.
"I don't think shutting down other people's point of view is good for the left or the right," Corsi said. "I'm not even convinced (Yiannopoulos) even believes what he says. He might just be trolling everybody."
Andrea Grenburg, a Berkeley resident, said she supports free speech, not the kind of hate speech that she believes Yiannopoulos promotes, and that is why she wanted to show up to make her views known.
"If no one speaks up, the hatred festers," she said. "When you don't do anything, you can't complain."
Kris Hanson, who has four children, said he drove from out of town to rally with fellow Trump supporters.
"I wanted to stand against the leftist fascists in our community," said Hanson, who was wearing a "Kid Rock for Senate" T-shirt.
Supporters of President Donald Trump and members of the left wing activist groups By Any Means Necessary and Refuse Fascism yelled at each other in roving skirmishes all morning.
Christian Silva, a 29 year old from Fullerton, said he drove up to hear Milo speak and was disappointed the event had devolved into shouting matches.
"They are not here for dialogue," he said of the counterprotesters. "I'll dialogue with anybody about anything but that's not what they want."
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