Yiannopoulos blew kisses, posed for selfies and led a rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner” Sunday at the University of California, Berkeley
Right-wing provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos blew kisses, posed for selfies and led a rendition of The Star-Spangled Banner for a few dozen supporters early Sunday afternoon during a brief appearance at the University of California, Berkeley.
A slightly larger crowd, protesting the conservative writer’s appearance, stood nearby, separated from the crowd by police.
The abbreviated appearance by Yiannopoulous, a former senior editor for Breitbart News, took place on the university system’s flagship campus during what was billed as a scheduled four-day Free Speech Week.
Organizers canceled the larger event on Saturday.
Berkeley is considered the birthplace of the 1960s Free Speech Movement, a student-led protest against campus restrictions on political speech. Students first aimed to support the struggle for civil rights and later opposed the Vietnam War.
Previously: Uncanceled: Ann Coulter, Milo Yiannopoulos now heading back to Berkeley
Wearing a denim jacket and a sweatshirt resembling an American flag, Yiannopoulos showed up at Berkeley’s Sproul Plaza shortly after noon PT, along with an entourage, who were jeered by a large group of counterdemonstrators, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Police allowed attendees to enter the plaza only after passing through metal detectors — about 100 people filled the plaza during the 20-minute event, the Times reported.
Yiannopoulos later told the Times that he had accomplished his mission.
« The purpose of today was to show up on campus no matter what and to let them know we’ll be back as many times as it will take, » he said.
The event was canceled after Free Speech Week’s organizers couldn’t meet Berkeley’s deadlines for renting indoor venues on campus. Yiannopoulos has said the university tried to sabotage Free Speech Week plans by making it difficult for organizers to make logistical arrangements.
UC Berkeley spokesman Dan Mogulof said such claims were “without basis in fact.”
By the time Yiannopoulos appeared briefly on Sunday, dozens of counterprotesters from the group Refuse Fascism and others had begun gathering near the plaza. They faced off with Trump supporters, some wearing red hats emblazoned with Trump’s trademark slogan, “Make America Great Again.”
Less than an hour after Yiannopoulous’ exit, Sproul Plaza was mostly empty, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.
Police arrested at least one protester during an off-campus protest, the Chronicle reported: Keith Sherman, 30, of Oakland, was allegedly carrying a banned weapon and wearing a mask during the commission of a crime, Berkeley police said.
UC Berkeley has incurred at least $1.4 million in security costs since February, when Yiannopoulos’ last appearance there sparked violent protests, the Times reported. That includes $600,000 for an appearance by conservative firebrand Ann Coulter, whose event was also canceled.
The university also spent an estimated $600,000 for a talk earlier this month by conservative writer Ben Shapiro.
Contributing: The Associated Press. Follow Greg Toppo on Twitter: @gtoppo
