Hundreds rally in Berkeley after Coulter talk canceled

BERKELEY, Calif. -- Hundreds of people waving American flags and chanting "USA" gathered peacefully Thursday for a rally at a park in Berkeley -- home of the free-speech movement -- to protest a canceled appearance by conservative commentator Ann Coulter.

Police in riot gear had prepared for possible violence between supporters and opponents of Coulter, but there were no major confrontations as the raucous rally wrapped up in the late afternoon.

Still, Berkeley student Joseph Pagadara, 19, said he had been worried about violence and added the university is caught in the middle of the country's political divide.

"Both sides are so intolerant of each other. We are a divided country. We need to listen to each other, but we're each caught in our own bubbles," he said.

University police erected barricades and refused to let any protesters enter the campus. Six people were arrested -- one for obstructing an officer and wearing a mask to evade police and another for possessing a knife.

Coulter previously said she was forced to cancel a speaking event at the University of California, Berkeley, although she added she still might "swing by to say hello" to her supporters, prompting police and university officials to brace for possible trouble. She was not spotted at the rally.