Trump threatens to cancel UC Berkeley's funding in wake of violent protests

Violent demonstrations broke out on the campus of U.C. Berkeley Wednesday evening as people gathered to protest guest speaker Milo Yiannopoulos, reports the New York Times.

In the interest of safety, the school canceled the scheduled event.

President Trump responded to the incident on Thursday morning, writing, "If U.C. Berkeley does not allow free speech and practices violence on innocent people with a different point of view – NO FEDERAL FUNDS?"

See more on the protests:

Yiannopoulos, a frequent contributor to Breitbart News, is often at the center of the free speech versus hate speech debate, notes the Los Angeles Times.

Politico reports that some of his better-known statements include, "birth control makes women unattractive and crazy," and, "gay rights have made us dumber, it's time to get back in the closet."