The Western Australian government has banned Milo Yiannopoulos from government venues with the Premier saying the outspoken conservative speaker was not welcome in the state.

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Speaking to Nine News, Premier Mark McGowan said people didn’t need to hear the British commentators views.

“Anyone who defends paedophiles and associates with Nazis, I don’t think is a rational person, we shouldn’t have them delivering lectures and performances to West Australians,” McGowan said.

Yiannopoulos is bringing his speaking tour, and controversy to Australia in December.

Billed as The Troll Academy Tour, the show’s promotional material highlights that Yiannopoulos was banned from Twitter, and his Berkley appearance in February 2017 that sparked riots.

The gay author, political commentator, and media personality is regularly associated with the alt-right movement, but Yiannopoulos describes himself as a ‘cultural libertarian’.

The self described ‘Internet Supervillan’, regularly rallies against political correctness, feminism, Islam, transgender rights, and the ‘Black Lives Matter’ movement. During the US election Yiannopoulos was a prominent supporter of President Donald Trump.

He has previously said ‘gay rights makes us dumber’ and suggested that gay people should go ‘back in the closet’.

Recently while promoting his upcoming tour of Australia, he encouraged Australian’s to vote ‘No’ in the marriage postal survey, despite having recently married his same-sex partner in the USA.

Yiannopolous said religious freedom was more important than gay rights, and while he is himself in a same sex marriage, he still believes in upholding Catholic values and considers gay sex to be a sin.

He also said allowing marriage equality would have a negative effect on gay culture.

“One of the few advantages of being gay was that you could tumble out of a nightclub at 1am on a Tuesday and no one could have a go at you for it,’ he told the Daily Mail.

‘But if we’re buying into these institutions like marriage, I worry that there will be a deadening effect on gay culture.”

Promoters say Yiannopoulos is the leading voice for a generation of young people concerned about freedom of speech.

Yiannopoulos rose to promises writing for the right-wing website Breitbart, but tendered his resignation when he became surrounded by controversy over remarks he made relating to pedophilia.

While this will be his first speaking tour of Australia, he’s a semi-regular guest on Sky News’ The Bolt Report. The tour is being supported by Penthouse magazine.

Sky News host Andrew Bolt has hit out at the premier’s decision saying the WA government had “fascist instincts”. Bolt said he did not endorse the views espoused by Yiannapoloulos but he supported his right to free speech.

The Sky News host said he was so incensed by the WA government actions, he would now accept an invitation to host the event in Western Australia.

“I will do my small bit to defy this sick tendency now to ban speakers with whom some people disagree.” Bolt declared.

The venue for the speaking engagement has not been announced with the promoter claiming that it needs to be kept secret to the last minute due to security concerns.

Local activist group United Front Against Bigotry have announced that they will stage a protest at any speaking event Yiannopoulos hosts in Western Australia.

OIP Staff