Milo Yiannopoulos announces 'grand comeback tour' at UC Berkeley
Conservative provocateur
The multi-day event, which he called "MILO'S FREE SPEECH WEEK," is scheduled be held in Berkeley, California - one of the cities known for its promotion of free speech since the 1960s - sometime later this year. He said the event would presumably draw activists, YouTubers, veterans, and more "from across the ideological spectrum."
"We will hold talks and rallies and throw massive parties, all in the name of free expression and the First Amendment," wrote Yiannopoulos in a statement on his Facebook page. "All will be welcome, regardless of political affiliation."
Berkeley has recently been embroiled in controversy after the University of California at Berkeley campus attempted to schedule an appearance of Yiannopoulos for a book tour in February. The event was eventually canceled after violent protests erupted on campus.
More recently, the conservative best-selling author Ann Coulter was also scheduled to appear at UC Berkeley later this month. She said she was facing restraints and "burdensome conditions" from campus officials on her scheduled appearance.
"I'm speaking at Berkeley on April 27th, as I was invited to do and have a contract to do," Coulter wrote in a series of tweets. "Berkeley just imposed an all-new arbitrary & harassing condition on my exercise of a constitutional right."
Yiannopoulos appeared to acknowledge Coulter's current situation with campus officials and included conditions for his event.
"If UC Berkeley does not actively assist us in the planning and execution of this event, we will extend festivities to an entire month," he continued. "We will establish a tent city on Sproul Plaza protesting the university's total dereliction of its duty and encourage students at other universities to follow suit."