Mother Jones laments that “nothing happened” to Milo and Pamela Geller at free speech rally

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What did they want to happen? Mother Jones laments that we weren’t killed.

Something did happen — something important. Berkeley employed chicanery, bureaucracy and every other logistical stunt to stop us from speaking — much the way they cancelled Free Speech Week. Well, they were summarily defeated when we took to the campus. We said we would speak, and speak we did.

“To look across UC Berkeley’s Sproul Plaza as Milo Yiannoloupos kicked off his much hyped ‘Free Speech Week’ on Sunday was to see a vast expanse of mostly empty concrete, and in the distance, a small gaggle of Milo devotees at the plaza’s northern edge.”

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it was empty because the police cordoned it off and didn’t allow anyone in.

“For something that was originally billed as a four-day extravaganza with a murderer’s row of far-right speakers, few words were delivered in the end.”

Milo: “I wish I had been able to speak for longer today, but a yelling protester made it impossible for any of our speakers to be heard (Berkeley refused to allow us any amplified sound), and Antifa showed up and I was told we had to evacuate.”

Dan Mogulof, the craven UC Berkeley spokesman, said at a press conference later that day that this was “probably the most expensive photo op in the university’s history.” “The unofficial estimate from the university on Sunday was that it cost the university approximately $800,000 and drew a total crowd of 700 to 800 people who mostly remained outside the inner Sproul Plaza barricades.”

Why is that? Why should it cost the university 800K if a conservative speaker comes to Berkeley? Because UC Berkeley has fostered and nurtured an environment of hatred and violence, intolerant of ideas and diversity of opinion. The fault is theirs, not Milo’s.

“Milo’s Dumb ‘Free Speech’ Stunt Cost UC-Berkeley $800K and Nothing Really Happened,” by Bryan Schatz, Mother Jones, September 25, 2017:

To look across UC Berkeley’s Sproul Plaza as Milo Yiannoloupos kicked off his much hyped “Free Speech Week” on Sunday was to see a vast expanse of mostly empty concrete, and in the distance, a small gaggle of Milo devotees at the plaza’s northern edge. They were waving signs—“Feminism is cancer,” “Dangerous Faggot [heart],” “Milo is Love, Milo Is Life, Milo is Liberty.” They, presumably, were making a lot of noise, but from a few hundred feet out, you’d barely notice them if you weren’t looking for them.

Even still, Yiannoloupos, never one to shy from the spotlight, was basking in whatever glory this provided. Police had cordoned off the inner plaza where Yiannoloupos spoke. They were letting in fans and detractors alike, but slowly, and subject to a metal detector. So at noon, while hundreds of people protesting the event were crowded at the university’s southern entrance behind police barricades, Yiannoloupos entered from the north, walking to the sparsely attended plaza while linked arm-in-arm with Pizzagate conspiracy theorist Mike Cernovich and anti-Muslim activist Pamela Geller. With his famously decorative hair, the far right provocateur wore an American flag-patterned sweatshirt under a denim jacket, topped off with his typical giant sunglasses.

With Sproul Plaza’s steps serving as his stage, he gave a brief speech, absent of amplification, and signed his fans’ posters and took selfies. He criticized the National Football League players who have kneeled in protest during the national anthem, and then led a prayer “for the protesters who don’t know what they’re doing.” He sang the National Anthem. And as abruptly as he’d entered, he left.

It all took place, as the University of California Police Department Chief Margo Bennett later put it, in front of “a crowd—um, a group—of about 25 to 30 people.” And it was all over in about 25 minutes. “Milo is leaving,” I heard one protester say to a friend. “What?” the other responded. “Already?” For something that was originally billed as a four-day extravaganza with a murderer’s row of far-right speakers, few words were delivered in the end.

Yiannoloupos would later lament the “hundreds” of fans he said the university prevented from entering, but the reality was that he came and went in less than a half hour, never really giving his own fans—or even his detractors who often fuel the clashes on which he thrives—a chance to join the charade. “It’s unclear to us why Mr. Yiannopoulos decided to start speaking when he did, and why he decided to end when he did—people were still coming in from the enclosed area,” said Dan Mogulof, UC Berkeley’s spokesman at a press conference later that day.
It was “probably the most expensive photo op in the university’s history.”

It was “probably the most expensive photo op in the university’s history,” said Mogulof. The unofficial estimate from the university on Sunday was that it cost the university approximately $800,000 and drew a total crowd of 700 to 800 people who mostly remained outside the inner Sproul Plaza barricades. Some were fans of Yiannopoulos and President Trump, sporting MAGA hats, Milo t-shirts, and wrapped in American flags; the vast majority were not. Protesters chanted and arguments broke out, but the clashing remained verbal. The police presence was enormous, including dozens on motorcycle, an armored vehicle, and rows of cops in riot gear. When a reporter asked Mogulof if the show of force was overkill, he responded, “Hindsight is a beautiful thing.”…

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Dennis
Dennis
6 years ago

What is reflected in this article is to me both not surprising and mortifying. I predicted that they would not be allowed to speak, and I find mortifying the commentary in this article that any of the intended speakers was somehow racist and anti-Muslim. Although I, personally, have stated that the realities that exist in this world today have established that Islam is the source of the heinous conduct of the terrorists, and I believe that the free world must do something to protect itself from the radicals that would cause injury to the free world citizens and its governing process, and I willingly state my critical thoughts in that regard, I do not consider myself anti-Muslim per se. True, the belief system that is Islam contains directions that are totally in opposition to everything that I treasure as an American citizen; yet, I do not have any objection to any person of Muslim persuasion unless they have adopted the kind of conduct that would cause others harm. That is my reality, and I suspect that there are many out there who think likewise. From my prospective, people who insist on representing themselves as ardent Muslim believers ought to remain with there own kind, as those hardened believers cannot assimilate into what is expected of them in the free world. That, therefore, is the reality, and no one should accuse me of being anti-Muslim, nor should they accuse people like Pamela Gellar of such characteristics. We are not Hitler like, a vile person who hated and sought to kill off those he wrongfully determined to be non-Aryan. I am sick and tired of the liberals who treat all of us reality people as being of deplorable character, when we all are people who rightfully fear the conduct of terrorists, which we reasonably believe is related to the Islamic belief system, and all we intend to do by being critical of their belief system is protecting ourselves from what we consider to be a very dangerous belief system that has no God like qualities.

smart guy
smart guy
6 years ago
Reply to  Dennis

The Koran teaches Muslims to murder the unbelievers. Since Islam has come into existence they have murdered 270 million. It is the most murderous religion by far. There is no such a thing as a “Good” Muslim.
If you are a communist then that means you support murdering Christians because that is what they did in the Ukraine. If you are a Catholic that means that you support burning people at the stake who translated the Bible into English. Jesus said that if you continue to belong to the religious sect that murdered the prophets then you support the crimes committed by your ancestors. Religion is a choice, it is not a race.

Poppey
Poppey
6 years ago

No Bannon, No Coulter, a four day event which took how long before collapse, an hour ? No mikes allowed, no hall, chains on doors, no organised support for the first amendment rights from what should be a Conservative POTUS, no help from police to exercise free speech rights, it’s hard to see this as anything but a flop.

This kind of thing is unfortunately the norm in UK and elsewhere in Europe these last 22 years, but looking on a brighter side, Robert Spencer can still get invites to speak, so can Elizabeth Wollf, Frank Gafney, Daniel Pipes, Brigitte Gabrielle so what are they doing different ?

A steady drip drip of sustained persecution is one thing but this event is looking like the victim of a well organised hatchet job, maybe with establishment backing ?

SeeNN
SeeNN
6 years ago

Hindsight to libs is the view from their backsides where they have their heads.

Suresh
Suresh
6 years ago
Reply to  SeeNN

Agree. The Left/liberal Loons even allow their women/Girls to be assaulted, molested, gang raped , murdered http://bit.ly/2tTQW4b

..and its all Halal (approved) as per allah !

So police in Left/liberal pro-islam countries/states do not even register case and mock the victims or let him off lightly if charged.

Phil McDonald
Phil McDonald
6 years ago

Progressive liberals love the “limitations” of the Freedom of speech under Sharia Law.

Deplorable B Church
Deplorable B Church
6 years ago

The important thing is to keep doing this over and over. Every time the leftists shut these events down, people take notice. Forcing them to show the world who they really are, over and over again, is the best method of rendering them irrelevant in the long run.

wilypagan
wilypagan
6 years ago

It also costs the lefty institutions big bucks. Keep doing it until they have to cut the salaries of their commie profs.

Ranger Rick
Ranger Rick
6 years ago

So violence and property damage did not occur and there’s a problem?

Mahou Shoujo
Mahou Shoujo
6 years ago

If the eunuch-varsity taught respect, tolerance and responsibility, it would not have to spend thousands of dollars to keep precious snowflakes from having hissy fit melt downs on the street. Why is there never a cost mention when antifa and other swine root around damaging the place? Bigotry and prejudice are the hallmarks of berkeley.

Deplorable/dx
Deplorable/dx
6 years ago

“Antifa showed up and I was told we had to evacuate.”
Yes the brown shirt Nazis tell the police at Berkeley what to do .

pb2D
pb2
6 years ago

If these people (conservatives, Milo, Pamela…) spoke from remote locations and streamed it live, the people could gather at whatever location they’d like and watch the speech on their phones. How would the leftists stop a speech when the speaker was at an unknown or safe location? As the rioters moved in, the supporters could simply move around.

william carrD
william carr
6 years ago

Who the heck is Mother Jones? some of your readers are not in USA

wilypagan
wilypagan
6 years ago
Reply to  william carr

Commie rag.

Alleged-Comment
Alleged-Comment
6 years ago

Not surprised. The left wishes DEATH upon you all. They have a SECRET death wish that you should be aware of. All their policies bring death but with an unusual twist.

Their agendas are FIRST made to make sure of your human MISERY and SUFFERING first! In another words, not only do they want to STICK it to you, but they want to TWIST the blade.

Michael Jacobs
Michael Jacobs
6 years ago

There is nothing in the MJones article to indicate they are sad no violence happened. A fair reading of their tone in saying “nothing happened” is that they were bemused by the not-much-there-there actual event, not disappointed that it failed to turn violent. The speeches themselves were a fizzle, as was the crowd. Apparently the UCB student group that Milo partnered with and relied upon, who were supposed to actually line up an indoor venue, arrange transportation and hotels and fees for the speakers, etc., dropped the ball and did nothing. That’s the reason the event did not go over big as advertised. It was not the UCB administration’s fault. Nobody there is silencing free speech. I deplore Antifa’s excesses, but they were not the cause, either.

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