A petition has been started to block Milo from returning to UCI
Where do you stand?
There’s a petition to block Milo Yiannopoulos from returning to UCI this Sunday. The petition is currently at 159 signatures and calls for Vice Chancellor Thomas A. Parham to stop the event.
Yiannopoulos’s last appearance on campus was met with protests, as well as the brief suspension of the College Republicans at UCI, who hosted the event. Along with a presentation by Yiannopoulos, the event’s Facebook page also encourages “…culturally appropriating, offensive, triggering Halloween costume…” for a costume contest. In response, the petition asserts the aforementioned costume contest, “…will be filled with hate and rooted in exploitation of non-white bodies.”
It also references last year’s event and demonstration, stating, “Milo’s event at this campus in the past have perpetuated violence against people of color and participate in/promote hate speech. […] While UCIPD were there “protecting” the Milo event attendees, they did nothing to ensure safety for the woman of color who was assaulted.”
Manisha Priyadarshini, 22, a Computer Science and Engineering major who was at last year’s protest said, “I believe in the freedom of speech, I don’t believe in using that speech to harm students, especially those that are minorities. To come to a space like UCI is difficult because of the large range of struggles that come within these shoes, we need UCI to do better when it comes to providing a space for all students to thrive.
“When speech and movements from one group of students is directly harming a group that has been historically targeted, it’s imperative admin intervene immediately. We want the same things as you – life, love, liberty but for all.”