CSULBstudentlife
Cal State Long Beach. File photo.

About 200 demonstrators gathered at Cal State Long Beach on Tuesday night to protest an event held by conservative group Turning Point USA.

No injuries or arrests were reported during the demonstration, the university said in a statement late Tuesday. No property was reported damaged.

The event, called “Campus Clash,” was held in the University Student Union from 7 to 9 p.m. Students gathered outside during the event, chanting “Go home Fascist” and other slogans of disapproval.

CSULB President Jane Close Conoley had sent a note to the campus earlier in the day warning that demonstrators should not try to silence the First Amendment rights of groups they disagree with.

“Free speech rights must be respected and protected,” she wrote. “Opposing beliefs can be debated with civility.

Campus police closed one parking lot on campus and the first floor of the student union earlier Tuesday, deployed K-9 teams and notified faculty teaching evening classes, among other precautionary measures, the university said.

University police began preparations for the event weeks in advance, the statement said.

“Long Beach State police understands the importance of respecting everyone’s First Amendment rights,” University Police Chief Fernando Solorzano said in a written statement. “If a venue involves topics that can be deemed controversial or provocative we make every effort to insure that the event goes smoothly for all parties involved.”

Turning Point USA, led by Charlie Kirk, describes itself as a nonprofit that seeks “to identify, educate, train, and organize students to promote the principles of freedom, free markets, and limited government.”

Melissa Evans is the Chief Executive Officer of the Long Beach Post and Long Beach Business Journal. Reach her at [email protected], @melissaevansLBP or 562-512-6354.