Berkeley Denies ‘Anti-Marxist’ Protest Permit, Antifa Pledges Violence

A protest billed “No to Marxism” that was scheduled for Sunday in Berkeley, California, has been denied a permit by the deputy city manger, who cited security concerns and “national events” as the reason for the denial.

Deputy City Manger Jovan Grogan told organizers of the protest who sought to gather at Civic Center Park — the site of numerous recent protests — that the “totality of circumstances” led to the decision, SFGate reported.

SFGate described the protest as being staged by the “far-right,” but according to the event’s Facebook page, the group is dedicated to preserving “a free nation.”

The Facebook page states that the group does not stand for racism, telling “groups like the KKK, Neo Nazis” that they “are not welcome at this event and please stay away.” It also insists that the event will be non-violent.

SFGate said social media indicates that the group may gather at the park without a permit and reported that it is uncertain if police will “stand down” if that is the case.

“Police in Berkeley have given no indications that they will stand down, and similar past events have moved forward, regardless,” SFGate reported.

In his denial, Grogan explained to organizers that their applications did not have plan for “proper security,” failed to provide proper identification, and that the applications were late.

Berkeley has been the scene of many violent clashes in the past few months and years, almost all of which resulted from the use of violence by left-wing groups. Black Lives Matter activists trashed the downtown area in 2014, and earlier this year, Antifa activists damaged the campus of the University of California Berkeley in a successful effort to shut down a lecture by then-Breitbart News tech editor Milo Yiannopoulos.

In April, fights broke out when left-wing activists attacked Trump supporters demonstrating in Berkeley. Later that month, Berkeley police had to separate demonstrators who had gathered in the city in support of, and opposition to, conservative columnist Ann Coulter.