Milo Yiannopoulos Talk Canceled Due to Security Concerns
Milo Yiannopoulos has sparked controversy as one of the online leaders of the alt-right movement. Yiannopoulos, who had his scheduled talk at NYU canceled, is currently touring college campuses across the country.
October 16, 2016
NYU canceled conservative journalist Milo Yiannopoulos’ scheduled talk at the university, citing safety concerns in the wake of violent incidents sparked by his controversial viewpoints. The NYU College Republicans planned to bring Yiannopoulos to NYU on Nov. 17.
Senior Vice President of Student Affairs Marc Wais issued a cancellation email to all prospective attendees on Saturday, Oct. 15, which stated that the university’s security review of the event raised concerns about the community’s safety and wellbeing.
“On other campuses his events have been accompanied by physical altercations, the need for drastically enlarged security presence, harassment of community members both at the event and beyond and credible threats involving the presence of firearms or explosives,” the email said.
The announcement also said that this event’s planned location in the Eisner & Lubin Auditorium posed another issue with its proximity to the Islamic Center, the LGBTQ Center and the Center for Multicultural Education and Programs. Although Yiannopoulos is a gay man, he has previously said that he believes rape culture is false, that all moderate Muslims he knows are no longer Islamic and that fat people are “disgusting.”
The planned visit to NYU was part of “The Dangerous Faggot Tour,” a nationwide tour of college campuses in which Yiannopoulos is speaking out against political correctness in society today. Before the date of the now-canceled visit to NYU, Yiannopoulos is scheduled to speak at 14 other higher education institutions across the nation.
The College Republicans still hope to have Yiannopoulos on campus, and they plan to speak to the administration on Monday about the possibility. In a statement to WSN, the group said that they were completely left out of the decision-making process.
“We find this response from NYU to be unfair and deeply troubling,” the statement said. “We have always been proud of the administration for its impartiality and support for all its students, and as such this move seems like one that legitimizes the narrative that any political beliefs that are not left of center are beyond the pale, which is extremely worrying.”
CAS senior and Vice President of the College Democrats Drew Weber said that he was disappointed by the College Republicans’ decision to cater to the alt-right.
“It is important we have room for perspectives from both sides of the aisle at NYU,” Weber said. “However, Mr. Yiannopoulos’ rhetoric extends well past the bounds of constructive dialogue into violence inciting hate speech. It is impossible to have an environment of free speech when students’ safety is threatened due to their religious, racial or gender identity.”
He said he believes that it was shameful to invite Yiannopoulos who associates so openly with the alt-right, and added that NYU’s rational gave appropriate weight to the safety of the student body.
However, the College Republicans said they are most upset about the way people are construing the past violence associated with Yiannopoulos.
“You have chosen to willfully ignore that the overwhelming majority of physical altercations and violence at Mr. Yiannopoulos’ past events have been directed at him and the audience, not carried out by them,” the statement from College Republicans said. “It is deeply offensive to use this pretext to justify using the power of the NYU establishment to allow one group of students to silence another at will.”
University spokesperson John Beckman said that the correspondence sent to the College Republicans spoke for itself.
“Given what’s happened at a number of campuses by way of altercations, threats and disruptions, the University has serious safety concerns that caused us to determine that we cannot allow the use of university facilities for this event,” Beckman said.
Email Diamond Naga Siu at [email protected].
Michael D'Emic • Feb 10, 2017 at 2:18 pm
The events at the NYU Kimmel Center on the evening of February 2nd provide an instructive context to this discussion. The NYU “anti”-fascists used typical brownshirt tactics, including a resort to violence, to shut down an event that had not been cancelled. As a simple matter of empirical, observable fact, it is clear that no student’s “safety is threatened due to their religious, racial or gender identity” unless that student somehow gets in the way of the pepper spray or the empty bottle, aimed by the so-called “anti-fascists”, at invited guests who have been offered the opportunity to exercise their rights under the first amendment. Whatever happened to the maxim, “I may disagree with what you say, but i will defend to the death your right to say it”?
Liam McPoyle • Oct 23, 2016 at 7:58 pm
The left and their insatiable ban boners….
Kerri • Oct 17, 2016 at 7:44 pm
SJW Fascist Cucks strike again. If speech makes you uncomfortable, challenge it with civil discourse, don’t just shut it down. Freedom of Speech is dead on College Campuses.
Charles Barnes • Oct 17, 2016 at 5:48 pm
How is saying “violent incidents sparked by controversial viewpoints” different from saying “violent rape sparked by provocative clothing”?
Sam • Oct 17, 2016 at 11:18 am
Since when are liberals as untolerant and anti-free-speech as religious fundamentalists?
Kevin Venezia • Oct 17, 2016 at 6:25 am
What do you expect from a liberal “free thinking” institution such as NYU? They follow the credo of Saul Alinsky. So much for balance on our college campuses. Maybe NYU should consider a satellite campus in Leningrad?
David • Oct 17, 2016 at 4:04 am
I call B S the campus admin is completely blocking free speech. Its cause he is a gay conservative, he’d have been welcomed with open open arms if he was discussing Hillary and ideas that they approved. Well that is one school my daughter will not be applying to.
becca • Oct 17, 2016 at 1:43 am
So NYU blames Milo’s conservative points of views as the reason for the violence. As if he is causing it. The left may not like what he has to say, but threatening him is their own doing, not his. His talks are all about free speech no matter how offensive you find it. That’s his point you morons! The first amendment is there to protect you no matter what. It seems that the so called “progressives” should now be called the regressives considering that they no longer stand for freedom of speech.
Bobo • Oct 17, 2016 at 1:05 am
The guy is a fraud, an empty vessel riding on his own wave of antagonistic brew in search of eyeballs and speaking fees. A sorry cry boy looking for money. Another political prostitute. The alt-right being fooled once again.
No • Oct 17, 2016 at 12:19 am
“violent incidents sparked by his controversial viewpoints”
So it’s his fault that people can’t control themselves? Apparently hurt feelings allow you to resort to violence. The violent protestors are crippled by emotional instability. They aren’t capable of having a rational dialogue, so the censor and shut down opposition instead. They get to behave like children and are always given a pass. As long as you have someone to blame for wrong think, you can act out in the most abhorrent ways. Antifa can try to stop the alt right, but they will fail. Nobody likes being told what they can and can’t say. Your days are numbered.
Janis • Oct 16, 2016 at 9:39 pm
Censorship in order to control the flow of ideas.
Rob • Oct 16, 2016 at 7:40 pm
“Although Yiannopoulos is a gay man, he has previously said that he believes rape culture is false, that all moderate Muslims he knows are no longer Islamic and that fat people are ‘disgusting.'”
You say it as though he shouldn’t have these opinions because he’s gay. Identity politics are not logical.
Let’s see if the moderators consider my diverse opinion hate speech.