Free Speech Movement

The Free Speech Movement ( FSM movement for freedom of expression) was a student protest action that was founded in 1964 at the University of California, Berkeley in response to the prompting of the university management restriction of political activity opportunities for student groups. In the protests students demanded for the first time a recognition of their rights to free speech and free inquiry.

Prehistory

Even before the Free Speech Movement numerous high school groups were active in Berkeley, the New Left and the New social movements are attributed. In 1957 was formed on the campus of a group called SLATE who campaigned for the protection of civil rights, the stop of nuclear tests, the abolition of capital punishment and the fight numerous other non-university problems.

In 1960, several hundred students protested against the meeting in San Francisco Committee on Un-American Activities. The protest was answered by the police with a massive water cannon use and by the arrest of several dozen protesters.

The following year, many civil rights activists and left-wing politicians such as Malcolm X and Herbert Aptheker was issued a gag order, bringing the conflict between students and university administration intensified. In addition, the university had to 1963 and 1964 a rapid increase in the number of students to which it was not prepared.

The Break of summer 1964 took many students to assist in the American South during the voter registration of African-American citizens and thus to enable them political influence. The situation with the return of the fall semester of 1964, is a decided contrast to this, especially as the university administration had now decided to let the ban on political agitation and enforce on campus by the police strictly. Since you been encouraged by the work in Mississippi and other southern states felt actively for the preservation of civil rights to use, many students decided to go with university management on a collision course.

On September 29, students built regardless of the ban at the south entrance of the campus information booths and they refused to vacate after they had been asked by the administration to do so. Five students were asked to volunteer for disciplinary action in the administration. Instead of the five students but appeared 500, among them Mario Savio, who became the leader of the student protests in Berkeley and demanded that they should also be punished. The university administration then decided to suspend three of the leaders of the protest march also.

On the morning of October 1, 1964, about a dozen student groups set up their information stands directly in front of Sproul Hall, the administration building of the university. An assistant dean demanded that one of the students present, Jack Weinberg, to identify themselves. When he refused, he was arrested by the police. The removal van was in use but with a sit-down protest prevented several hundred hurrying students and transformed the Ground surrounded the police car to platform. The blockade lasted 32 hours and ended only when the President of the University, Clark Kerr, a mediator intervened. Jack Weinberg was released without charge.

Protests

In response to these events, numerous campus groups joined forces to Free Speech Movement. Encouraged by the successes won part, the students continued their actions. They were supported increasingly by PhD students, who wanted to express their displeasure over poor pay and numerous restrictions imposed by the university administration expressed.

In response to the announcement of the University Board on 13 November, only six of the eight punished on September 29, students lift the suspension, explained to the FSM to want to bother taking place on 20 November meeting of the Supervisory Board of the University of California. The American folk singer Joan Baez showed solidarity with the students and appeared on 20 and held for the thousands of students who had near Sproul Hall, the venue of the Supervisory Board, gathered a concert.

After it was announced that the boards lifted many of the concessions made by President Kerr and had even increased the penalties against the two suspended students, including Mario Savio was occupied over a thousand students on December 2, 1964 Sproul Hall, and called for to strike. The occupiers converted the administration building in the " Free University of California," and pointed to the hallways and offices to spaces for a variety of workshops.

First, the university administration took no action against the Aktivistien and left the occupants of the building. However, when away from the campus, the news of the occupation of Sproul Hall made ​​the rounds and the district attorney of Alameda County Governor Pat Brown explained that you should not show up to these "rebels" yielding, Brown ordered the eviction. On 3 December, shortly after two clock surrounded 600 police officers from Berkeley and other surrounding communities the building. Kerr asked by the students for the immediate and unconditional evacuation of the building. When that did not comply with the requirement, the police started clearing. Because the squatters rendered passive resistance, it took twelve hours to the Sproul Hall was evacuated. Overall, there were 773 arrests for trespassing, the largest mass arrest in California history. Most of those arrested were taken to the county jail in Santa Rosa, in which at that time also Huey Newton was jailed.

On the afternoon of 3 December, many thousands of students and university staff had gathered on Sproul Plaza to the front of the administration building and in the buildings and on the roofs of the surrounding buildings. The police action was taken with incomprehension and horror noted. Shortly thereafter, a meeting of 800 professors of the University took place. At this meeting they expressed their solidarity with the detainees and demanded that the police in the future of access should be denied to the campus. The professors decided to pay for the students involved, the security deposit, so the following day, all 773 prisoners were released.

President Kerr convened for 7 December at a meeting of all members of the university in the Hearst Greek Theatre, to the published 16,000 people. He read there a statement signed by many deans of the faculties explanation, although condemned the occupation, but signaled readiness to talk and mustered understanding for the students. When Mario Savio went to the stage towards the end of the meeting and wanted to take the floor, he was taken into custody by the security forces and dragged behind the stage. In order to prevent the meeting ended in a revolt of the students, he was finally released and given him the opportunity for a short speech in which he challenged students to continue to participate in discussion boards and stand up for the right to free expression.

The following day, December 8, met the Senate of the University, to vote on the requests regarding the guarantee of the freedom of speech. With 824 to 115 votes, the Senate decided to lift the ban on political agitation. The decision was taken by thousands of students who had gathered outside the building and attended by over loudspeakers voting enthusiastically noted.