Free Speech and the Battle for Berkeley

KQED reporters take you into the mostly peaceful protests in late summer in Berkeley to ask what is free speech? And what happens when the line between speech and violence become blurred beyond recognition?

What does it mean when Nazis march in American towns? Is it free speech or is it a freeing of hate speech? Forty years ago, Neo Nazis wanted to march on the streets of Skokie, Illinois. A few weekends ago, Neo Nazi’s marched through the streets of Charlottesville, Virginia. Shortly afterword, far right fringe activists planned to hold “free speech” rallies in San Francisco and Berkeley. The far right is trying to rebrand free speech. They are using the birthplace of the Free Speech Movement — Berkeley — to do it.

KQED reporters take you into the mostly peaceful protests in late summer in Berkeley to ask what is free speech? And what happens when the line between speech and violence become blurred beyond recognition?