Controversial commentator Milo Yiannopoulos has announced dates for an Australian speaking tour, including an appearance in Perth on Saturday 2nd December.
The event will be held somewhere in the Perth CBD but organisers will not reveal the location until just seven days before the provocative author arrives.
Alongside his lecture, the author will also host a private dinner for 20 participants, which will give his fans an opportunity to get one photograph and an autographed copy of his book Dangerous.
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 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’.
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 New’s The Bolt Report. The tour is being supported by Penthouse magazine.
Publisher Damien Costas has defended the magazine’s support for Yiannopoulos, saying he is a champion for free speech like Martin Luther King.
“Penthouse has championed the right to free speech for over 50 years. The magazine was founded in 1965 during the sexual revolution, and through its investigative reporting and irreverent editorial, it fought for progressive causes including women’s rights, civil rights, the rights of Vietnam Veterans and helped changed the world,” Costas said.
“Whether it was Martin Luther King and the freedom riders in the 1960s or Milo Yiannopoulos in 2017, free speech is part of Australia’s robust democracy and the cornerstone of Western civilisation.”
Alongside his Perth appearance, the author will be speaking in Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney and the Gold Coast.
OIP Staff
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