Conservative commentator and journalist Milo Yiannopoulos will come to Athens in December for an event organized by the Ohio University College Republicans.
Yiannopoulos is currently on a tour of college campuses across the country, though some of those stops have been protested by college students. He was set to speak on New York University's campus Nov. 17, according to the campus' newspaper, the Washington Square News, though university officials canceled the event, citing safety concerns.
He will be speaking at the Nelson Commons on Dec. 2, at 7 p.m.
OU College Republicans President David Parkhill said an organizer reached out to him and asked if he wanted Yiannopoulos to visit OU, provided that transportation costs were covered.
"(The club) had a conversation about it, and we were able to make it happen," Parkhill said.
That opportunity arose around the time a pro-Trump message was painted on OU's graffiti wall last spring, sparking controversy on campus.
"It was a heat-of-the-moment decision to support a freedom of speech mindset," Parkhill said. "I think it's important to have guys like (Yiannopoulos) who can say ridiculous things and still be protected by the First Amendment."
Parkhill said the event is being held at the Nelson Commons, as venues including the Baker Center Theatre and the Templeton-Blackburn Memorial Auditorium were already booked.
"OU gave us permission to use the room," Parkhill said, adding that to his knowledge, there is no requirement to inform the school that a speaker is coming.
"They don’t have to advertise the event and we’re not asking them to," he said.
Despite minimal advertising, about 150 free tickets have already been distributed, according to Parkhill.
Ohio University College Democrats president Sam Miller said the OU College Republicans have the right to bring anyone to campus, but said she was disappointed the group decided to host Yiannopoulos.
"He uses demeaning language and that could be very harmful," Miller said. "I believe it is important to be politically correct and respect other people."
Miller said the OU College Democrats have not yet discussed whether they will protest the event.
Yiannopolous is originally from Kent, England and currently writes for the conservative news site Breitbart. This summer, he was in the news for being permanently banned from Twitter after encouraging users to harass actress and comedian Leslie Jones.
