California campuses brace for Breitbart provocateur

Outrage over a controversial speaker's tour of several public universities across the state is forcing administrators to take stands on questions of hate speech and the free expression guaranteed under the US constitution's first amendment.

The speaker is Milo Yiannopoulos, an editor at Breitbart News, the right-wing website, who is known for his gleeful attacks on political correctness that can sometimes veer into offensive and racially-charged language.

Notably, he was banned from Twitter for inciting trolls to attack "Ghostbusters" actress Leslie Jones.

His flamethrower approach often arouses a fierce backlash. So it was that his scheduled speech at the University of California, Davis, last week devolved into a tense standoff between protesters and the police. It was called off before it could begin over security concerns. Later, Mr Yiannopoulos addressed a group of supporters on the campus quad. He denounced a university culture of so-called safe spaces that he said shielded students from diverse viewpoints.

"They cannot shut you up because you have the wrong political opinions," he said.

More skirmishes are expected to play out in coming appearances at the other California campuses, including a crucible of the 1960s free-speech movement, the University of California, Berkeley.

Mr Yiannopoulos was invited by Berkeley College Republicans, a student group that portrayed the event, on February 1st, as a way to jolt the liberal campus with a different perspective.

More than 100 faculty members called for blocking the event in a letter to Chancellor Nicholas Dirks. It cited a speech Mr Yiannopoulos delivered at the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, where he belittled a transgender student by name. "We support robust debate," the letter said, "but we cannot abide by harassment, slander, defamation, and hate speech."

At least two student groups have vowed to disrupt the event. But campus officials have vigorously defended Mr Yiannopoulos' constitutional right to speak.

Dan Mogulof, a Berkeley spokesman, said the university had faced an email and letter-writing campaign that included vague threats. As such, up to 50 additional police officers would be hired to work the event. After all, Mr Mogulof said, "We want to give Milo a safe space."

NYT