One-hundred and seventy-seven Berkeley professors and graduate students have signed an open letter asking thousands of colleagues and students to boycott the campus for their “physical and mental safety.”
The letter, called "Boycott the Alt-Right @UCBerkeley" asks that students, teachers and staff cancel classes, close buildings and “not penalize students who are afraid to come to campus” from September 24th-27th.
“As faculty we cannot ask students and staff to choose between risking their physical and mental safety in order to attend class or come to work in an environment of harassment, intimidation, violence, and militarized policing.”
It's during that time frame when Milo Yiannopoulos, Steve Bannon, Ann Coulter and others were supposed to come to campus for what was called "Free Speech Week".
Campus administrators say the event isn't even a sure thing as the students who invited the speakers haven't made the necessary security arrangements needed to reserve the areas for them to speak in.
The letter goes onto address the safety issues, citing the violent incidents Charlottesville, Virginia, Portland, Oregon and Maryland.
Associate professor of French, Déborah Blocker signed the letter and says she will teach her two small classes off campus.
“There’s no way UC Berkeley can provide safety and security for four days. This is some sort of fantasy...We will do it massively — as a symbol. If they (the right-wing) are going to be handed the keys to this campus ... then academics will go elsewhere.”
UC Berkeley spokesman Dan Mogulof says all faculty are free to decide where and when they teach their classes.