Milo Yiannopoulos plans to speak at Cal State Fullerton despite protests and criticism

Conservative firebrand Milo Yiannopoulos will speak at Cal State Fullerton on Oct. 31, the campus’ College Republicans chapter announced amid an attempt to block the appearance.

A petition on the website change.org asking Cal State Fullerton administrators to block the speech has drawn nearly 5,000 signatures.

“If we start banning certain types of speakers like Milo, then the restrictions used to shut down those you don’t agree with can be used against those who imposed them in the first place,’’ said chapter member Michael Garcia.

A scheduled speech by Yiannopoulos at UC Berkeley in February triggered violent protests against him and those who showed up to see him, some of whom were injured. The speech was canceled.

The College Republicans at Cal State Fullerton chose Yiannopoulos to speak on campus because of his ability to spark discussions regarding free speech on college campuses, chapter president Amanda McGuire said.

“CSUF has long been an institution celebrating diversity,’’ McGuire said. “Inviting a controversial speaker like Milo has created a conversation throughout campus as students consider what it means to have freedom of speech.

“For too long, left-leaning groups have dominated campus culture and marginalized conservative thinkers through intimidation tactics and violent protests,” she said. “The CSUF Republicans provides a place for all voices to be heard.’’