The Justice Department has launched a probe into the raucous protests against a Turning Point USA event at UC Berkeley on Monday night.

Assistant attorney general for the civil rights division, Harmeet Dhillon, is leading the investigation, visiting the Bay Area campus on Thursday as she reviews what she calls “Antifa violence and security failures at UC Berkeley.”

She also described the university as a “repeat offender in allowing violent thugs to disrupt conservative speaker events” in an interview Friday with OAN.

At issue is a TPUSA event Monday night featuring Christian apologist Frank Turek and conservative actor Rob Schneider. The event took place, the controversy stems on the protests leading up to it.

The Californian student newspaper described the situation as “mostly peaceful protests and scattered disputes between protesters and police.”

“…The investigation comes after a turbulent night of protests and arrests outside a TPUSA event at Zellerbach Hall that saw two individuals arrested by city police following a violent altercation, as well as two arrests by UCPD,” the newspaper reported.

“…The majority of the approximately 300 demonstrators protesting the event throughout the day were nonviolent.”

Videos from the evening showed a somewhat chaotic scene, including aggressive protesters banging against barriers and screaming at attendees waiting in line. Smoke bombs were also lit and at one point protesters tried to storm the barrier, videos show.

TPUSA attendees were rushed inside as law enforcement worked to keep things from spiraling, according to videos and witnesses.

Dhillon is asking people with “digital evidence” of the violence to contact the FBI.

But one conservative Berkeley faculty member told The College Fix the videos don’t paint the full picture:

I went by the Turning Point USA event on campus. The area around Zellerbach Auditorium was cordoned off. There was ample security. Some people on the other side of the barriers were shouting, as is their right. They were localized to a small area. The police did a great job and had things under control.  Apparently there were four arrests, which is probably less than for the average football weekend. The university went well beyond its educational mission by paying the expenses so that the attendees could hear the political thoughts of Rob Schneider. 

This is not Dhillon’s first legal battle with UC Berkeley. In 2018, the university settled a First Amendment lawsuit she was involved with challenging the public university’s policies on “high-profile speakers,” “major events” and security fees.

The Berkeley College Republicans and Young America’s Foundation had sued after the university refused to honor an agreed-upon speaking date for conservative firebrand Ann Coulter, and imposed new “curfew and venue restrictions” on their speakers.