Milo Yiannopoulos
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About
Milo Yiannopoulos is a British journalist who was a technology editor at the conservative news and opinion site Breitbart. He has gained much notoriety online for frequently covering the Gamergate controversy and for being an outspoken critic of third-wave feminism.
History
In May 2007, Yiannopoulos launched the @Nero[5] Twitter feed, gaining over 162,000 followers over the next eight years. In November 2011, Yiannopoulos launched the online tabloid magazine The Kernel along with friends David Rosenberg and David Haywood Smith, journalist Stephen Pritchard and former Telegraph employee Adrian McShane. The magazine was subsequently closed in 2013 and was purchased by The Daily Dot in 2014.
Gamergate Coverage
On September 1st, 2014, Breitbart published an article by Yiannopoulos titled "Feminist Bullies Tearing the Video Game Industry Apart,"[1] which criticized the politicization of video game culture and video game developer Zoe Quinn. That month, Yiannopoulos wrote several articles about a private Google group mailing list titled "GameJournoPros," purportedly used by gaming journalists cooperating to work against GamerGate.[2][3][4] In December, Yiannopoulos announced he was working on a book about the Gamergate controversy. On September 30th, 2015, Yiannopoulos appeared on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast, where he discussed a variety of issues, including Gamergate, homosexuality, religion and feminism (shown below).
Sky News Appearances
Yiannopoulos is a frequent guest on the British news station Sky News. On June 16th, 2015, YouTuber Captain Nemo uploaded footage of Yiannopoulos defending Nobel Prize-winning British biochemist Tim Hunt (shown below, left). On July 29th, YouTuber Captain Nemo uploaded a Sky News segment in which Yiannopoulos debates the issues body shaming and fat acceptance (shown below, right).
University of Manchester Debate
On October 6th, 2015, Yiannopoulos and Guardian journalist Julie Bindel were banned from appearing at an upcoming debate titled “From liberation to censorship: Does modern feminism have a problem with free speech?” at the University of Manchester. In an announcement from the University of Manchester's Students' Union, Bindel, a second-wave feminist, had been barred from the debate for her "views and comments towards trans people" which violated the school's "safe space policy."[6] The ban was subseqeuntly extended to Yiannopoulos for "comments lambasting rape survivors and trans people."
#JeSuisMilo
On January 8th, 2016, Yiannopoulos tweeted a screenshot of an email from Twitter informing him that his verified badge had been removed "due to recent violations of Twitter Rules" (shown below).[7] Within 48 hours the tweet gained over 2,100 likes and 1,600 retweets.
Yiannopoulos subsequently claimed Twitter did not explain which rule he had violated and speculated he was being punished for being an outspoken conservative. To protest the badge removal, Twitter users began changing their profile pictures to photographs of Yiannopoulos and posting the hashtag #JeSuisMilo,[8] in reference to the French slogan "Je Suis Charlie". That day, the hashtag was the #1 trending topic in the United States and #3 worldwide. Meanwhile, Twitter executive Nathan Hubbard posted a tweet[9] speculating that the badge removal may have been a reaction to complaints that Yiannopoulos was "encouraging harassment" (shown below). The following day, Yiannopoulos disputed the complaint, claiming he told a friend "you deserve to be harassed" as a joke (shown below, right).[14]
Also on January 9th, several news sites published articles about the controversy, including The Blaze,[10] BuzzFeed,[11] Breitbart[12] The Guardian,[29] and Twitchy.[13]
#FreeMilo
On July 19th, 2016, Twitter suspended Yiannopoulos' account following a campaign that Twitter alleges he led to tweet racist and sexist things towards Ghostbusters actress Leslie Jones. It appears that Twitter, notorious for its inability to effectively deal with trolls, made the move in an effort to show it is cracking down on harassment, noting that they had suspended Yiannopoulos not for the offensive content of his tweets, but for violating Twitter's rules[21] regarding the harassment of individuals. A screenshot of the full statement Twitter gave to Buzzfeed[15] is below.
In a statement on Breitbart[16], Yiannopoulos called the suspension "cowardly" and declared "This is the end for Twitter. Anyone who cares about free speech has been sent a clear message: you’re not welcome on Twitter."
Yiannopoulos's suspension prompted the #FreeMilo hashtag to trend nationwide on Twitter.[17] Conservative supporters have used the hashtag to argue that the suspension is an indication of a left-leaning double standard on Twitter; others have used the hashtag to troll.[18]
On July 20th, 2016 news outlets including Buzzfeed, The New York Times,[19] and Fusion[20] picked up the story.
Book Deal
On December 29th, Yiannopoulos announced his upcoming autobiographical book Dangerous,[23] set for release in March 2017. That day, The Hollywood Reporter published an article revealing that Simon & Schuster's Threshold Editions gave Yiannopoulos a $250,000 advance for the book, including a statement from the author:
"They said banning me from Twitter would finish me off. Just as I predicted, the opposite has happened. Did it hurt Madonna being banned from MTV in the 1990s? Did all that negative press hurt Donald Trump's chances of winning the election?"
That day, the Chicago Review of Books tweeted they would abstain from covering a single Simon & Schuster book for the rest of 2017 in protest of Yiannopoulos' book, referring to it as a "disgusting validation of hate" (shown below, left). Meanwhile, comedian Sarah Silverman posted a tweet denouncing the publishing company for giving Yiannopoulos a "platform" (shown below, right).
That day, Yiannopoulos became a trending topic on both Facebook and Twitter. On Facebook, Yiannopoulos posted a response to the online backlash, stating "your impotent fury heats my pool" (shown below, left). On December 30th, a large influx of preorders caused Dangerous to become the top selling book on Amazon (shown below, right).[22]
Manuscript Edits
On December 27th, 2017, publisher Jason Pinter tweeted[30] Simon & Schuster's rebuttal to Yiannopoulos' lawsuit, explaining why they were not going to be releasing the book. The tweet (shown below) received more than 4,500 retweets and 13,000 likes in 24 hours.
The sections were made available by the New York state courts' website.[31] They were made public record following Yiannopoulos' July 2017 lawsuit against the publisher for breach of contract.
The following day, Twitter[32] user @sarahmei tweeted, "I went to the New York county clerk’s website and found this filing. It includes the entire manuscript with allllllll the editor’s comments as exhibit B." Following this tweet, she began posting elements of the manuscript with the editor's comments. She describes the editor in a tweet,[33] "The editor is a conservative man who has published books for 45 & other folks with similar opinions. You can see that in the occasional “good point” comments. But mostly he was very politely having NONE of Milo’s bullshit. It’s glorious." This 18-part thread, the tweets received more than 10,000 retweets and 20,000 likes.
![l didn't read the manuscript. Just the comments. They're...amazing. Even better than the excerpts in the filing And a pretty good summary of the book l imaaine Comment [A164] No, t this at all Comment [A165]: Graf Comment [A166]: 1w mentally il Comment [411] Ctators neede e at abes Comment [A279]: Not a sertence Comment [A 280]: Le's loave-cuck, Q nem of it ,' , .| comment [A281): This whole paragrapn is e comment 14121 Delete ifrelevan supermluous ethnic joke Comment 14405sc anurtchangea in 0e in tis peticulaly chapter do NOT ligmen cur mesenge with huyar Thay srbly diminish Comment [A4081: Tisis not the ame or orurcther hhrk d---](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/001/327/078/dec.jpg "I didn’t read the manuscript. Just the comments. They’re...amazing. Even better than the excerpts in the filing. And a prett")
![Will immediately start using "if you want to make a case for [f------ ridiculous thing], you're going to have to employ a lot more intellectual rigor than you use here." Comment [A3131 This entire section is the most poorly thouoht out section i the book f yot want to make a case for gay mee going back into the closet and marrying women just to have children you te going to have to employ a lot more intelectua ngor than you use here Comment 4314] Thisjust doesnt any make sense hre Comment [A3151. Tnat does NOT nebessarilyfollow.](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/001/327/079/6c9.jpg "Will immediately start using “if you want to make a case for [f------ ridiculous thing], you’re going to have to employ a lot")
Others online objected to the posting the edits as a joke. They saw the edits as a way to "whitewash" Milo's comments for the mainstream. Twitter user @surfbordt made a Twitter[34] thread (examples below) to explain this position. They wrote, "here's the PDF link to Milo's manuscript with commentary from the editor. An interesting insight into an attempt to launder fascist views into mainstream consumption. In a follow-up tweet, they wrote, "here's how a conservative editor seeks to whitewash Milo into something more acceptable and profitable."
![here's how a conservative editor seeks to whitewash Milo into something more acceptable and profitable Comment tA1]: Add a short and serious statement here that sets out why you do what you do without trolling without bombaSt without narme caling, and without ego This will make for a stronger opening than playing to your core audience Make the pont that in each and every chapter of this book what you intend to show is the stifling of soeech Acknow edge that you use bombast and over the top messaging n an attempt to break the strictures on free expression in the same way that comedians ike Lernny Bruce once did And make the point that liberals used to defend free speech out that the snoe the aovent of political correctness the iliberal left has become the oppressive censors in American society](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/001/327/081/048.jpg "here's how a conservative editor seeks to whitewash Milo into something more acceptable and profitable")
Several media outlets covered the release of the edits as well as the online response to the edits, including The Washington Post,[35] Quartz,[36] The Guardian,[37] Newsweek[38] and more.
UC Berkeley Protest
Full Article: 2017 Milo Yiannopoulos UC Berkeley Protest
In early February of 2017, Yiannopoulos was scheduled to hold a talk to the students of UC Berkeley, when a large group of protesters arrived to the student union building and begun to tear down metal barricades, smash windows and set fires outside of the building. The protest gained heavy controversy.
Pedastry Controversy
On February 19th, 2017, the @ReaganBattalion Twitter feed posted a video from an episode of the Drunken Peasants podcast in which Yiannopoulos seemingly defends sexual relationships between adult men and teenage boys when discussing age of consent ideas as “arbitrary and oppressive” (shown below).
Here is a longer cut where Milo Yiannopoulos says that he "is advocating" for legal sex between 13 year olds! & older men. #CPAC2017 pic.twitter.com/1fiuv7TSKs
— The Reagan Battalion (@ReaganBattalion) February 19, 2017
On February 20th, Fox News contributor Guy Benson tweeted that Yiannopoulos had been disinvited from speaking at the upcoming Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC).[24] Meanwhile, Yiannopoulos published a post condemning pedophilia and "adults who sexually abuse minors," as well as claiming he was a "child abuse victim" (shown below).
That day, Simon & Schuster spokesperson Adam Rothberg tweeted that the publisher had cancelled Dangerous "after careful consideration" (shown below).[23] Also on February 20th, Fox Business reported that there was "fierce debate" inside Breitbart regarding Yiannopoulos' employment at the company.[25]
Following the cancellation, screenshots of a 4chan thread began circulating in which a poster claimed to be part of a mainstream media email list, and that journalists had planned to "destroy" Yiannopoulos career by depicting him as a pedophile.[26]
Resignation from Breitbart
On February 21st, Yiannopoulos released a statement that he would be resigning from Breitbart and that the decision "mine alone" prior to holding a press conference regarding the controversy:
BuzzFeed News Report
On October 5th, 2017, BuzzFeed[28] published an article titled "Here's How Breitbart And Milo Smuggled Nazi and White Nationalist Ideas Into The Mainstream," which included "an explosive cache of documents," including emails from Yiannoupoulos' private account. Among the emails included discussions about a Breitbart article defining the alt-right, in which Yiannopoulos consulted controversial figures asscoiated with the alt-right and white nationalism, such as Daily Stormer system administrator Andrew Auernheimer, software engineer Curtis Yarvin (a.k.a. Mencius Moldbug) and American Renaissance editor Devin Saucier (a.k.a. Henry Wolff). The article, titled "An Establishment Conservative's Guide to the Alt-Right," was subsequently written by Breitbart[27] staff writer Allum Bokhari. Additionally, the article included screenshots of emails sent by Steve Bannon berating Yiannopoulos for "jerking yourself off w/ marginalia" (shown below).
Additionally, the documents contained correspondences between Yiannopoulos, Bannon and Dan Fluette, an employee of Glittering Steel owned Robert Mercer. In the emails, Yiannopoulos discusses obtaining payment for security and his Dangerous Faggot book tour from Glittering Steel. An screenshot of Bannon and Michael Flynn Jr. praising a Basket of Deplorables meme was included as well (shown below).
The article also included leaked emails about meetings with venture capitalist Peter Theil, an email group including Vice writer Mitchell Sunderland and correspondences with former Slate technology writer David Auerbach regarding various figures associated with GamerGate. Auerbach subsequently tweeted that BuzzFeed misquoted his response and that their allegations against him were "categorically false" (shown below).
That same day, BuzzFeed News uploaded a video of Yiannopoulos singing "America the Beautiful" was while Richard Spencer and others can be seen making Nazi salutes in the audience (shown below). In a statement to BuzzFeed News, Yiannopoulos claimed eyesight issues prevented him from seeing the salutes and "I disavow Richard Spencer and his entire sorry band of idiots."
Search Interest
External References
[1] Breitbart – Feminist Bullies Tearing the Video Game Industry Apart
[2] Breitbart – Exposed the secret mailing list
[3] Breitbart – The emails that prove video games journalism must be reformed
[4] Breitbart – The list every journalist in the gamejournopros group revealed
[6] Manchester Students Union – Sate from the Students Union
[8] Twitter – #JeSuisMilo
[9] Twitter – @NathanCHubbard
[10] The Blaze (via Wayback Machine) – Twitter Unverifies Outspoken Journalist
[11] BuzzFeed – Twitter Unverifies Writer Amid Speech Wars
[12] Breitbart – Twitter Declares War on Conservative Media
[13] Twitchy – #JeSuisMilo solidarity movement
[15] Buzzfeed – Twitter Permanently Suspends Conservative Writer Milo Yiannopoulos
[16] Breitbart – Milo Suspended Permanently by Twitter Minutes Before ‘Gays For Trump’ Party At RNC
[18] Twitter – #FreeMilo trolling
[19] The New York Times – Twitter Bars Milo Yiannopoulos in Wake of Leslie Jones’s Reports of Abuse
[20] Fusion – Twitter just permanently suspended Milo Yiannopoulos, the internet’s biggest troll
[21] Twitter – The Twitter Rules
[22] Archive.is – Amazon Best Sellers
[23] Amazon – Dangerous (unavailable)
[23] Twitter – @AdamRothberg
[24] Twitter – @guypbenson
[25] Mediaite – Fox Business Gasparino
[26] 4chan – Operation Destroy Milo
[27] Breitbart – An Establishment Conservatives Guide to the Alt Right
[28] BuzzFeed – Here's How Breitbart And Milo Smuggled Nazi and White Nationalist Ideas Into The Mainstream
[29] The Guardian – Milo Yiannopoulos peddles hate. It’s not censorship to refuse to publish it
[30] Twitter – @jasonpinter's Tweet
[31] New York County Clerk (via Waybck Machine) – Exhibit B
[32] Twitter – @sarahmei's Tweet
[33] Twitter – @sarahmei's Tweet
[34] Twitter – @suftbordt's Tweet
[35] The Washington Post – ‘Leave the lesbians out of it’: Who wants to edit Milo Yiannopoulos?=
[36] Quartz – Milo Yiannopoulos’s brutal takedown by his own editor, via court filings
[37] The Guardian – 'Unclear, unfunny, delete': editor's notes on Milo Yiannopoulos book revealed
[38] Newsweek – MILO YIANNOPOULOS' BOOK WAS 'PHENOMENALLY PETTY,' 'TIRESOME' AND HAD 'TOO MUCH EGO,' EDITOR SAID
![Comment 1426] Unclear untunny delete](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/list/001/327/268/ee1.jpg "Editor's comments")
![Comment [A530] Address speoifically what feminists were saying aboit the video game commumty and say why you disagree with their side Otherwise you re leaving your readers without the tools to argue agains the eff s criticisms on this issue](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/list/001/327/267/5b7.jpg "Editor's comments")
![1 Comment [A327] : Stop spreading fake news No counle gey or straight hae EVER wanted to serve pizza at their wedding The Connors VOLUNTEERES te fact that would not make pizza for a gay wedding and the story mushroomed But to be clear No gay couple ever asked the o Connors to make pzza for their wedding 9 Comment 1A3281* This is actually the unwrittern topic of this chapter Rather than waste time on a theory about gay men going back into the doset maybe you coulo actually put some thought into why straight people respond to your message](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/list/001/327/264/663.jpg "Editor's comments")
![Comment [A208]: iteraly cannot take this anymorel have a gun in my mouth and have said goodbye to my loved ones am questioning every decision inmy lfe that led me to this point in my career am broken Thave willed my personal finances anc worldy possessions Goodbye world You deserve this book.](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/list/001/327/263/9d4.jpg "Editor's comments")
![Comment [A1]: Add a short and serous statement here that sets out why you do what you do wthout troling without bombast ithout name calling and without ego This wil make for a stronger opening than playing to : your core audience…… Make the pont that in each and every chapter of this book what you intend to show is the stifling of speech Acknowledge that you use bombast and over the top messaging in an attempt to break the stiotures on free expression in the same way that comedians like Lenny Bruce once did And make the point that tiberals used to defend free speech but that the since the aovent of politcal correctness the iliberal left has become the oppressive censors n American society Cte Beatrice Evelyn Hall the 1906 brographer of Voltaire who described his attitude as disapprove of what you say but will defend to the death your right to say it a quote usually misattributed to him hen te each chapter to this preambe](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/list/001/327/262/496.jpg "Editor's comments")
Top Comments
I Need Tea
Oct 08, 2015 at 01:11PM EDT
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Oct 08, 2015 at 01:05PM EDT