In response to the recent pepper-spraying of University of California-Davis students and the beating of University of California-Berkeley students, University of California President Mark Yudof issued a strongly-worded statement today condemning the attacks on protesters:
I am appalled by images of University of California students being doused with pepper spray and jabbed with police batons on our campuses.I intend to do everything in my power as president of this university to protect the rights of our students, faculty and staff to engage in non-violent protest.
Yudof added that he would take “immediate” action to convene all UC chancellors in order to “ensure proportional law enforcement response to non-violent protest,” noting that non-violent protest was “central” to the university’s DNA and history and that right to do so “must be proect[ed] with vigilance.”