President-elect Donald Trump wasn’t the only divisive political figure to visit Wisconsin Tuesday night.
On the UW-Milwaukee campus, an outspoken member of the so-called “alt-right” movement drew heightened security presence, as supporters and protesters alike rallied for free speech.
Milo Yiannopoulos is an editor for the website Breitbart.com. His association with the “alt-right,” a far right political group that rejects mainstream conservatism and political rhetoric, means he is among a group commonly associated with ideologies such as white nationalism.
Ideologies that the UWM student protesters made clear they oppose.
“We’re just trying to show there’s another side to this kind of speech, and the kind of messages that are being conveyed,” said one graduate student.
Although he didn’t give his name, this student said he was one of 300 students who signed a petition asking campus administration to denounce "alt-right" messages - and the invitation extended to Yiannopoulos.
That came from the student group Turning Point USA.
“I would like to see the administration stand by the pretty clear values of the university, which are by the letter against saying something about people based on race, on gender, on class,” the student said. “The rhetoric of this is not unclear. I think it promotes violence, and it scares me.”
In response to the petition and growing calls to “disinvite” Yiannopoulos, UWM Chancellor Mark Mone released a statement Tuesday night:
“UWM is prohibited by law from restricting access to its facilities based on the viewpoint of a student organization or a guest or speaker invited by a student organization. Free speech is one of UWM’s core values and I will support students’ decisions to bring a wide array of speakers to our campus – even if the speaker is controversial, and even if I disagree with him or her.”
Mone added that he does not personally agree with Yiannopoulos’ views, and condemned some of the speaker’s comments directed at members of the UWM campus community, including one transgender student.
Inside the event, students reported Yiannopoulus focused his speech on issues such as free speech, police-community relations, and the Black Lives Matter movement.
Freshman Jack Cairns wasn’t able to secure one of the 300 tickets made available for the event – but, he still showed up to see if he could get in. While he waited, he had a front row seat to the protests, and even exchanged words with a fellow student.
Cairns says he’s open to hearing what people with different viewpoints have to say -- he just wishes it could happen in a more civilized manner.
“It’s really anti-discourse. People are yelling at each other, not really looking to see where each other are coming from,” Cairns said of the protests. “People should be more open to political discourse. I feel like, having everyone walk on eggshells over political and racial matters is really counterproductive. Everyone gets upset, and nobody finds a solution.”
Yiannopoulus’ visit to UWM coincided with a public event in West Allis, featuring President-elect Donald Trump. One of Trump’s top advisors also has links with Breitbart.
One student remarked that the crowd on campus Tuesday night appeared much larger than the group on hand when Trump visited UWM last fall.
