Protests against Breitbart editor Milo Yiannopoulos at the University of California-Berkeley turned into riots on Wednesday evening.
CNN correspondent Kyung Lah covered the protests against Yiannopoulos and President Donald Trump, which quickly deteriorated into riots and chaos outside a university building where Yiannopoulos was supposed to speak. As violence began at the scene, Yiannopoulos was taken away and officials canceled the speech. A speech scheduled for Thursday at UCLA has also been canceled.
A portable light and its generator were set on fire, which set a nearby tree ablaze as well. Windows of buildings were smashed in and barriers were moved and thrown. Some rioters had homemade riot shields with them. Flares were thrown at windows as well.
There were reports of police on the scene, although none were visible in footage on the ground. The campus was reportedly placed on lockdown as the riots grew worse.
The perpetrators of the initial protests and the subsequent riots are unknown, but they are believed to have included students, professors, and many local protesters not affiliated with the school, which has a long history of liberal activism.
President Trump threatened in a tweet on Thursday morning to cut Berkeley's federal funding if does not "allow free speech and practices violence on innocent people with a different point of view."
If U.C. Berkeley does not allow free speech and practices violence on innocent people with a different point of view - NO FEDERAL FUNDS?
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 2, 2017
Breitbart strongly backed Trump throughout his presidential run and Steve Bannon, the president's chief strategist, was previously the news outlet's chief executive.