MSNBC's "Morning Joe" panel on Monday ripped into left-wing protesters on college campuses who shut down free speech, mocking them as "snowflakes" who would melt upon hearing the term "law and order."
The discussion came amid news of masked anti-fascist protesters, known as "antifa," assaulting Donald Trump supporters and organizers present in Berkeley, Calif., over the weekend. Fourteen people were eventually arrested, the Los Angeles Times reports:
The clashes came despite widespread calls from activists and elected officials across the Bay Area for peaceful civil disobedience and underscores Berkeley's growing reputation for violent reaction by the far left. Other protests earlier this year in the city turned ugly, with far-left and far-right forces fighting in the streets.
"The event was branded as a peaceful 'Stand Against Hate' rally but quickly turned into the opposite," host Mika Brzezinski said.
Antifa members boast of using violence to achieve their hard-left ends. As video played of some of the assaults, host Joe Scarborough said it was an "ongoing problem," particularly at Berkeley, where "members of the far-left are using violence" to shut down demonstrators and free speech.
New York Times reporter Nicholas Confessore said the footage of the beatings was "revolting," and the panel agreed the so-called antifas were actually being fascist themselves with their behavior.
"Who is running Berkeley, and why can't they protect free speech? What's your problem in Berkeley? Why can't you protect free speech?" Scarborough asked, his voice rising. "If you need me to help you out, we can get some people that will actually protect the First Amendment ... This sort of thuggery going on in your streets on your college campuses is an absolute disgrace."
Confessore said protests like the ones at Berkeley that have shut down provocateurs like Ann Coulter and Milo Yiannopoulos only serve to help them.
The panel noted figures like former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, former New York police commissioner Ray Kelly, and International Monetary Fund director Christine Lagarde have also been blocked in recent years from speaking at college campuses.
Axios reporter Jonathan Swan wondered what would become of these "mentally-stunted snowflakes" once they left college.
"Who wants to hire a child who is so offended by all of these things they're going to encounter? Guess what? When they show up at work, they're going to hear some Republican-leaning views," Swan said.
Scarborough said this was a large part of why Democrats have become "so disconnected" because too many have lived in a "bubble."
"Every snowflake gets first place," Brzezinski said mockingly. "You're all winners. You're all so good. Such perfect children."
"We're so proud of you," Scarborough cooed. "And by the way, if anyone disagrees with you, they're wrong."
Wondering once more where the "law and order" was in Berkeley, Scarborough feared some "snowflakes just melted" because he used the term "law and order."