Conservative Political Speaker Milo Yiannapoulos Protested At CU
BOULDER, Colo. (CBS4) - Carrying signs that read "Don't fund hate speech" and "Alt right=neo Nazi," protesters gathered as conservative Milo Yiannapoulos appeared on the University of Colorado campus in Boulder Wednesday evening.
Inside the mathematics building around 400 people gathered to hear of the talk sponsored by the College Republicans and Turning Point USA. Police were taking no chance, bringing extra patrols and setting up barricades and metal detectors outside the event.
"Lethal violence erupts outside of his talks. I think that that is definitely not free speech anymore," said Jordan Buchman, of the campus group Students for a Democratic Society.
"As long as they're doing it civilly and not making intentional threats to shut down our event," said Christopher Kohl with College Republicans.
Yiannapoulos was met with a standing ovation as he entered the lecture hall.
Wearing all white he praised President Donald Trump saying he was doing everything he promised to do.
Yiannapoulos wasted little time attacking one of his favorite targets, feminists.
"Ugly women are more likely to be feminists than hot ones," he told the audience.
Many in the audience wore "Make America Great Again" hats.
Yiannapoulos displayed an email that he said those attending received telling them their names will appear on a list of neo-Nazi sympathizers.
He said in other locations those opposed to his talks used baseball bats.
"Here they bombard you with emails," Yiannapoulos said.
Yiannapoulos will appear at the University of Colorado campus in Colorado Springs on Thursday.
CBS4's Rick Sallinger is a Peabody award winning reporter who has been with the station more than two decades doing hard news and investigative reporting. Follow him on Twitter @ricksallinger.