Ben Shapiro speech University of Minnesota's St. Paul campus

A helicopter hummed overhead and barricades ringed the student center where Ben Shapiro spoke on his Monday night visit to the University of Minnesota's St. Paul campus.

A couple dozen protestors assembled outside to greet the conservative speaker with a familiar refrain of protest chants and charges of fascism. While the turnout was meager, security was tight, with the police geared up for a scenario similar to Shapiro’s visit to Berkeley in September, which drew hundreds of protestors and led to nine arrests.

“We’re besieged because of our views,” said student Abdi Mohamed, who was unable to get into the event. “We have to have this militaristic guard just to share a couple opinions.”

Those protestors who did show up were met by a flock of press, with local news outlets vying for quotes from each sign-toting student. After a few rounds of chanting, the group started to march about the St. Paul campus, and unceremoniously dissipated

“There are a hundred police officers," Shapiro told a full house of 400, "that were necessary to protect you guys and to protect me so that I can say conservative things."

SOURCE