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U.S. NEWS Wednesday 1 February

Breitbart speaker at Berkeley stirs debate over free speech

JOCELYN GECKER nopoulos is a troll and pro- at Berkeley and elsewhere erally. foundation’s Individual
Associated Press vocateur who uses odious since his election. Administrators say the de- Rights Defense Program,
BERKELEY, Calif. (AP) — behavior in part to ‘enter- The Berkeley Republican mands to stifle Yiannopou- said in a statement.
Fans and foes agree that tain,’ but also to deflect Club says it has no plans to los show that modern sen- Administrators have re-
Milo Yiannopoulos special- ceived hundreds of letters
izes in controversy. The po- and emails calling for the
larizing editor from Breitbart event’s cancellation.
News is a self-proclaimed There’s a “No Milo” at
internet troll who has been Berkeley Facebook page
criticized as racist, misogy- with more than 3,500 peo-
nist and white supremacist. ple signed on, calling for a
His scheduled visit Wednes- “mass counter protest” to
day to the University of shut down the event.
California at Berkeley has Nearly 100 professors
raised an issue facing cam- signed a letter to the chan-
puses across America at cellor urging him to cancel
the dawn of the Trump the event. It cited some of
presidency: What is the line Yiannopoulos’ earlier com-
between free speech and ments.
hate speech? At the University of Dela-
The visit is sponsored by the ware, Yiannopoulos re-
campus Republican club. ferred to transgender peo-
The university has stressed ple as “mentally ill” and
it did not invite Yiannopou- encouraged his audience
los, a right-wing provoca- to mock them.
teur who is gay and calls his He has called Black Lives
event “The Dangerous Fag- Milo Yiannopoulos speaks on campus in the Mathematics building at the University of Colorado Matter a form of “black
got Tour.” in Boulder, Colo., Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2017. Yiannopoulos is an editor at the alt-right website supremacism.” Twitter
The potential for physical Breitbart News. His scheduled visit Wednesday to the University of California at Berkeley has banned him in July, as it
danger in reaction to Yi- raised an issue facing campuses across America: What is the line between free speech and cracked down on racist
annopoulos came into the hate speech? (Jeremy Papasso/Daily Camera via AP) abuse targeting “Ghost-
spotlight this month after a busters” actress Leslie
man was shot and wound- Jones.
ed at a protest outside his any serious engagement cancel the event because sitivities are changing the At Western Carolina Univer-
Jan. 21 University of Wash- with ideas,” Dirks wrote last that would send a mes- debate about free speech sity he called feminism, “a
ington talk. week to Berkeley’s staff sage that intimidation and on campus. What used to mean, vindictive, spiteful,
Rowdy protests at UC Da- and 37,500 students. “He violence can win. be a campaign to allow all nasty, man-hating philoso-
vis Jan. 13 prompted cam- has been widely and rightly “We don’t support every- voices risks becoming more phy.”
pus Republicans to cancel condemned for engaging thing he’s said or done,” restrictive. “The university should not
his appearance at the last in hate speech.” said Pieter Sittler, 19, a The number of attempts provide a platform for such
minute. His last stop was But as a public university, sophomore who is the to keep speakers off col- harassment,” the letter
supposed to be UCLA on Berkeley’s administrators club’s vice president. “But lege campuses because from professors said. “We
Feb. 2, but that invitation are legally bound by the we think it’s important to of their politics doubled support robust debate, but
was rescinded, making First Amendment to pro- have a complete political last year, according to a we cannot abide by ha-
Berkeley the grand finale of tect free speech, meaning discourse. Not just stay in an report issued late last year rassment, slander, defama-
his cross-country campus even offensive and hate echo chamber and silence by the Foundation for Indi- tion and hate speech.”
tour. speech cannot be banned what you disagree with.” vidual Rights in Education. Yiannopoulos rejects accu-
Professors have joined hun- or censored, Dirks said. The event’s 500 seats sold It logged a record 42 in- sations he is racist or white
dreds of students calling “We are defending the out about 48 hours after cidents of “disinvitations,” supremacist, saying his
for the event’s cancella- right to free expression at the event was announced with 25 percent aimed at boyfriend is black and his
tion. But university officials an historic moment for our last fall, Sittler said. Yiannopoulos. humor is taken too literally
say it will be allowed in the nation, when this right is Yiannopoulos “gives a “The increasing unwilling- in today’s politically correct
name of free speech — as once again of paramount voice to repressed conser- ness to allow anyone on culture.
will protests that Berkeley importance,” Dirks said. vative thought on Ameri- campus to hear ideas with A group of veterans from
Chancellor Nicholas Dirks His letter did not name Pres- can college campuses,” which one disagrees poses Berkeley’s 1960s Free
expects could be “substan- ident Donald Trump, whom Sittler said, adding that a grave risk to students’ in- Speech Movement praised
tial” amid tight security. Yiannopoulos supports, he uses “levity and humor” tellectual development,” administrators for allowing
“In our view, Mr. Yian- but highlighted concerns that should not be taken lit- Ari Cohn, director of the the event.q