Protests shut down UC Davis speech by Breitbart's Milo Yiannopoulos


A crush of student protesters shut down a Friday evening event featuring controversial Breitbart editor Milo Yiannopoulos and "pharma bro" Martin Shkreli at UC Davis before either man's speech could begin. Chanting "Say it loud, say it clear, racists are not welcome here," protesters blocked access to the venue until campus security officers informed the UC Davis College Republicans, who were hosting the talks, that the event could not continue with guaranteed safety for attendees.
UC Davis released a statement saying protesters were not responsible for any property damage or violence and only one arrest was made. Still, Interim Chancellor Ralph J. Hexter said he was "deeply disappointed" in the Davis campus community for failing to demonstrate "respect for all views, even those that we personally find repellent." "As I have stated repeatedly," he added, "a university is at its best when it listens to and critically engages opposing views, especially ones that many of us find upsetting or even offensive."
Yiannopoulos on Facebook Saturday morning disputed the university's account of the previous night. "Campus police say there was 'no violence' last night," he wrote, "But my guests told Breitbart reporters last night" stories of protester violence including fecal projectiles, punches, and hot coffee thrown at an ABC News reporter, the latter of which was independently confirmed on Twitter. "We will be pursuing this matter further," Yiannopoulos assured his readers.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Bonnie Kristian was a deputy editor and acting editor-in-chief of TheWeek.com. She is a columnist at Christianity Today and author of Untrustworthy: The Knowledge Crisis Breaking Our Brains, Polluting Our Politics, and Corrupting Christian Community (forthcoming 2022) and A Flexible Faith: Rethinking What It Means to Follow Jesus Today (2018). Her writing has also appeared at Time Magazine, CNN, USA Today, Newsweek, the Los Angeles Times, and The American Conservative, among other outlets.
-
President Trump: ‘waging war’ on Chicago
Talking Point Federal agents are carrying out ‘increasingly aggressive’ immigration raids – but have sanctuary cities like Chicago brought it on themselves?
-
Sudoku medium: October 18, 2025
The Week's daily medium sudoku puzzle
-
Sudoku hard: October 18, 2025
The Week's daily hard sudoku puzzle
-
DOJ indicts John Bolton over classified files
Speed Read Continuing the trend of going after his political enemies, Trump prosecutes his former national security adviser
-
Trump, Putin set summit as Zelenskyy lands in DC
Speed Read Trump and Putin have agreed to meet in Budapest soon to discuss ending the war in Ukraine
-
Courts deal setbacks to Trump’s Chicago operations
Speed Read President Donald Trump cannot deploy the National Guard in Illinois
-
Pentagon reporters turn in badges after refusing rules
Speed Read They refused to sign a restrictive new press policy imposed by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth
-
Supreme Court points to gutting Voting Rights Act
speed read States would no longer be required to consider race when drawing congressional maps
-
Trump says he authorized covert CIA ops in Venezuela
Speed Read He is also considering military strikes inside the country
-
‘Vile, racist’ leaked chats roil Young Republicans
Speed Read Leaders of Young Republican groups made racist, antisemitic and violent comments in private chats
-
Trump ties $20B Argentina bailout to Milei votes
speed read Trump will boost Argentina’s economy — if the country’s right-wing president wins upcoming elections