UC-Berkeley students peaceful

Regarding Michael Hristakopoulos’ New Voices column, “Straight-A — antifa — thugs rule Berkeley,” in Thursday’s Sentinel: My son attended the University of California at Berkeley, one of the top public universities in the country. I would like to set the record straight regarding Berkeley’s culture and its students.

Students are foremost dedicated to their education. Students are engaged in their school and community through volunteer efforts, university organizations and protests. Students are unafraid of voicing their beliefs, yet tolerant of opposing views. Students are overwhelmingly compassionate, respectful, idealistic, innovative and concerned.

The university is guided by its free-speech movement. Historically, the university has hosted events across the political spectrum. Some have latched upon recent events, where speeches were canceled due to concerns about violence. The movement continues with conservative Ben Shapiro’s future appearance. Conservative writer Steven Hayward is a resident scholar, and the university has centers studying left-wing and right-wing policies.

Criminal behavior does occur at gatherings. But we need to identify its sources. Overwhelmingly, student-led protests are peaceful. Unfortunately, the liberal arena attracts anarchists, not affiliated with the university or its students, who advocate violence. These individuals seek to magnify their numbers and ideas by inserting themselves in peaceful student protests. To blame the university and the students is simply an attempt to distort. The university will endure without compromising free-speech principles, and its students will remain peaceful advocates. Robert P. Miller Kissimmee