Free speech organization sends letter to put UC Berkeley ‘on notice’ after protesters shut down event | Administration

The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression filed a letter against UC Berkeley on May 18 concerning the shutdown of a speaker event featuring Jeff Dean, Google chief scientist and Gemini lead. 

FIRE wrote a letter in response to the event, according to Haley Gluhanich, senior program counsel and member of the campus advocacy team for FIRE, to put the campus “on notice” and remind it of its responsibility to uphold the First Amendment. 

FIRE is a “nonpartisan nonprofit” dedicated to defending fundamental rights across college campuses, including freedom of expression. According to Gluhanich, FIRE first learned about the case through a news article, after which they investigated and decided to write a letter to UC Berkeley.

On May 1, approximately 20 protesters disrupted a Berkeley Forum and College of Engineering Event, criticizing the use of Gemini AI in the genocide in Gaza in response to Dean’s attendance. According to the FIRE letter, despite the event being ticketed, UCPD and campus security stated they were unable to prevent protesters from entering because of free speech.

“We wanted Berkeley to know that what happened in this situation wasn’t right,” Gluhanich said. “We know that Berkeley knows better.” 

In the letter, which was addressed to UC Berkeley Chancellor Rich Lyons, FIRE stated that since UC Berkeley allowed the event to be shut down, it sent the message that the “heckler’s veto,” or the idea that “one can easily thwart campus discourse they dislike simply by disrupting it,” could be successful in the future. 

Additionally, FIRE urged UC Berkeley to educate its police officers and officials on how to address event disruptions in the future.This would serve as an opportunity, according to Gluhanich, to distinguish between protected expression and “disruptive conduct that prevents others from exercising their own freedom of speech.”

According to Gluhanich, FIRE has offered to assist with trainings for police officers and officials by providing “training materials” free of charge.

“The campus administration condemns the disruption of the student-organized Berkeley Forum event,” said campus spokesperson Dan Mogulof in an email. “The (protesters’ actions) were a clear and disturbing violation of the university’s ‘Time, Place, and Manner’ rules which are designed to protect the expressive rights of all.” 

Mogulof added that the campus intends to respond to FIRE once an “ongoing review” has been completed. Through this, the administration will determine if there is a need to modify the protocols for dealing with future impermissible disruptions.

For FIRE, according to Gluhanich, immediate action mainly consists of waiting for an official response from UC Berkeley, after which they will reassess the situation. From there, FIRE will determine its next steps, if necessary, whether that be writing additional letters or “considering litigation.”

“Obviously the First Amendment does allow for protests, peaceful protests,” Gluhanich said. “Protesting does not include shutting down someone else’s speech — that’s not free speech.”