Some students and alumni were critical, saying it sends the wrong message.

After plans to build the fence were revealed last year, sophomore Cheyenne Millard told KCBS that she objected to the “symbolicness of the fence and what it means putting it up, it’s making a separation between the students and the chancellor.”

UC Berkeley graduate Bianca Huntley-Ortega, a protest organizer, told KCBS that the fence reflected poorly on Chancellor Nicholas Dirks — a “symbol that he’s not fighting for the interest of the students.”

Dirks, aware of what happened to his predecessors, has offered no apologies.

Most coverage of the costly fence has only vaguely alluded to the reasons UC officials might consider taking the unusual step of acting to secure the physical safety of the chancellor, citing past protests without offering many details. But two incidents show the risks chancellors faced before the fence was installed.

2009 attack likened to ‘terrorism’ by Schwarzenegger

On Dec. 11, 2009, a crowd of protesters later found to be led by anarchists tried to burn down the residence after a Friday night protest of tuition and fee hikes and budget cuts. Then-UC Berkeley Chancellor Robert Birgeneau said the next day that “these are criminals, not activists. The attack at our home was extraordinarily frightening and violent. My wife and I genuinely feared for our lives.”

Besides trying to burn down the home, known as University House, a crowd of about 75 people smashed its windows, lights and planters before being dispersed by police. Eight were arrested; two were Cal students and the rest were associated with radical groups and movements with strongholds in the Bay Area.

The reaction to the incident was oddly muted. Instead of focusing on the fact that protesters hoped to burn Birgeneau and his wife Mary alive, a San Francisco Chronicle account referred to “vandalism” in its headline. Alameda County District Attorney Karen O’Malley made clear the case was not a priority, saying she lacked evidence to file serious charges against the eight people arrested.

Among those frustrated with O’Malley: then-Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who likened the protesters to “terrorists” and issued a statement: “The governor expects the DA to utilize all tools to identify and prosecute those responsible for the attack on Chancellor Birgeneau’s home. While the governor supports open debate, this protest crossed the line into criminal activity and those responsible should be treated as criminals.”

1992 incident: Armed intruder shot and killed

An even-scarier incident occurred on Aug. 26, 1992. This is from the L.A. Times’ account:

BERKELEY — A young machete-wielding political activist awaiting trial on charges of possession of explosives was shot and killed by police Tuesday after she broke into the campus residence of UC Chancellor Chang-Lin Tien.

University officials said that Rosebud Abigail Denovo, 19, entered the residence and triggered a silent alarm at 5:51 a.m. Campus police telephoned Tien, who quickly locked his second-floor bedroom doors.

Authorities arrived with an Oakland police canine unit, began a search and then escorted the chancellor and his wife, Di-Hwa Tien, from the residence. About 7 a.m., authorities said, Denovo was discovered in another second-floor bedroom, a short distance from the Tiens’ room.

Officials said that as Oakland Police Officer Craig Chew opened the door, the woman lunged at him with a machete. Chew fired three times with a handgun in self-defense, officials said.

Denovo got into the residence by melting the molding on a basement window with a propane torch.

UC Berkeley officials downplayed the cost of the fence, saying it would actually save money in coming years by reducing the need to have the house constantly patrolled. The annual cost of patrols was $200,000 before the fence and is expected to be much lower going forward.

But here’s a little context no one has provided so far: Birgenau and his wife could easily have been killed by a mob of anarchists in 2009 — and he and a lot of other authority figures subsequently didn’t seek their tough punishment. Here’s what I wrote on Dec. 23, 2009:

“On the night of Dec. 11, a mob of up to 70 people infuriated by budget cuts and tuition hikes assaulted the on-campus residence of UC Berkeley Chancellor Robert Birgenau. Campus police reported that the thugs attempted to break into the home and to light it on fire, and said that when police responded, the mob tried to light officers’ cars on fire.

“Police arrested eight people on suspicion of rioting, threatening an educational official, attempted burglary, attempted arson, felony vandalism and assault with a deadly weapon on a police officer.

“Birgenau said he and his wife were afraid for their lives. The governor likened the attack to terrorism and said the terrorists should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

“But 10 days after the assault, the Alameda County DA announced that no charges had been filed and that it was unlikely that any charges ever would be filed because of a lack of strong evidence.

“Huh? UC campuses are loaded with surveillance cameras. Given that in 1992, an ‘activist’ was killed trying to break into Berkeley chancellor’s residence, of course it is similarly protected. Beyond that, the thugs almost certainly left behind plenty of physical evidence.”

Karma of a kind

So while of course what happened at Haverford is a pathetic reminder of the Stalinist impulse in hard-left politics, it’s also kind of karma for Birgenau’s slippery, slick actions in 2009, when he turned the other cheek rather than go after people who nearly killed him.

Given that these homicidal lunatics are probably still on the street, Birgenau’s decision shouldn’t just be judged as an attempt to tamp down campus controversy or as naked appeasement. It was dangerous. Birgenau and all those who downplayed the worst recent example of California terrorism should be held accountable.

The rough treatment Birgenau has faced the past week from the hard left doesn’t compare to what he faced from a violent wing of the same bunch on the night of Dec. 11, 2009.