Eight people were arrested on Dec. 13 following the Friday attack on the home of Robert Birgeneau, the chancellor of the University of California, Berkeley. Charges included suspicion of rioting, threatening an education official, attempted burglary, attempted arson, felony vandalism, and assault.
Birgeneau, a former U of T president, left Toronto in 2004 for UC Berkeley four years into his seven-year term.
Between 50 and 70 protestors participated in the attack, shouting, throwing torches, and breaking windows, lights, and planters. Of the eight captured by police, only two are Berkeley students. Bail has been set for $132,000. No injuries or fires were reported.
Birgeneau and his wife were home when the incident occurred. In a statement released by the university, Birgeneau said the episode crossed the line from protest to criminal activity. “The attack at our home was extraordinarily frightening and violent. My wife and I genuinely feared for our lives,” reads the statement.
The attack follows the arrest of over 60 protestors, mostly students, after a four-day “open occupation” of Wheeler Hall, a classroom building on the Berkeley campus. The protestors had maintained round-the-clock presence, demanding education for all.
In November, a four-day sit-in at UC Santa Cruz caused what administrators estimate to be upwards of $50,000 in damages to Kerr Hall, an administrative building. The protest is believed to be partially responsible for UC president Mark Yudof cancelling what would have been his first trip to the campus.
The University of California is the fourth-largest public university system in the United States. Its 10 campuses have suffered massive budget cuts, resulting in tuition hikes and reduced student service. Recent protests have arisen as a result of a fee increase of $2,500, or 32 per cent, effective in September 2010.
