Jonathan Turley – The officials at the University of California at Berkeley have had a change of heart and agreed to the planned speech by conservative Ann Coulter.  The decision to cancel the speech was criticized on this blog and in other forums as the latest example of mob rule on our campuses.  The decision is a welcomed change.  Berkeley will now have to protect Coulter and those who want to hear her from the type of violent mob actions seen previously on that and other campuses.  This is by no means easy but it is a definitional test for an academic institution. We cannot be dictated to by the mob

The speech will occur on May 2 and will be  held at an “appropriate, protectable venue.”

The key to these controversial speeches is to confine audience to students, faculty , and alumni.  Past violence has often been the work of outsiders on campus.  This is not to say that there will not be Berkeley protesters. There will be plenty. However, protests must be non-violent and not disruptive.  Otherwise, those protesters should be held accountable for their conduct including damage to property.  Protests are part of the free speech culture of universities, but there is also an understanding that people have a right to be heard even when you disagree with them.

Berkeley should now make its stand on free speech complete in affirming the right of these Republican students to hear Coulter.