Milo Yiannopoulos NYU Visit Scrapped Amid Pressure From Mayor

WEST VILLAGE, NY — New York University has postponed a talk by alt-right media figure Milo Yiannopoulos after Mayor Bill de Blasio asked the school to reschedule citing safety concerns, according to a spokesman for NYU.

Yiannopoulos, a highly controversial conservative commentator, was invited to speak about the "identity politics of Halloween" to a Liberal Studies class taught by Professor Michael Rectenwald.

Once word got out that the divisive former editor of Breitbart News would be speaking at the school during the raucous holiday, the Mayor and a group of politicians urged NYU to postpone the talk.

"New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio today requested that NYU postpone and reschedule the classroom appearance by Milo Yiannopoulos for public safety reasons in light of the nearby Halloween parades and NYPD assessments of risk," said John Beckman, a spokesman for NYU.

"Given the importance of close coordination between NYU's Public Safety personnel and the NYPD to ensuring safety, the University agreed to the postponement. "

NYU professors are not required to seek approval for guest speakers, but Rectenwald did not notify the dean of his department or the university of Yiannopoulos' on campus appearance.

The university learned of the event from press reports and its public safety department only began working with the NYPD on safety planning Monday, noted Beckman.

Rectenwald was disappointed that the "brilliant" Yiannopoulos would be unable to visit the school Wednesday, but hopes to hold the talk on another day, he said.

"I was trying to bring different elements to speak to each other for once and I’m disappointed that it’s being postponed," Rectenwald told Patch.

"I think with all of the costumed people running all over the place and the mayhem — Milo giving his talk made it a little too much mayhem. But I believe that we will make it happen on another day."

De Blasio called President of NYU Andrew Hamilton and requested the delay. Liberal Studies Dean Julie Mostov notified Rectenwald that — whether he liked it or not — the school was postponing the event, the professor said.

A group of elected officials condemned Yiannapoulos' views, but expressed a willingness for him to speak at the university.

“We are united as a community in denouncing the hate expressed by Milo Yiannapoulos," reads a statement from five elected officials — Council Speaker Corey Johnson, Borough President Gale Brewer, Assemblywoman Deborah Glick and Councilwomen Margaret Chin and Carlina Rivera.

"We also share the values enshrined in the 1st Amendment, and the principle of academic freedom and would not attempt to thwart free expression."

Instead, the politicians joined the Mayor in urging the talk be rescheduled and cited safety concerns due to the area's Children’s Halloween Parade and the Greenwich Village Halloween Day Parade.

"[These events] put enormous pressures on this part of the City in terms of crowds and stretch our City’s police and public safety resources," the statement continues. "Adding such a potentially controversial event at the same time in the same neighborhood is not prudent."

The elected officials also noted the "particularly troubling" timing of the visit with Wednesday marking the first anniversary of the Tribeca terrorist attack that killed eight, and just days after the shooting at a Pittsburgh synagogue and explosives mailed to prominent Democratic in the city and across the country.

This isn't the first time Yiannopoulos was booted from speaking at the school.

In 2016, NYU's College Republicans invited the alt-right pundit to speak at the university, but school officials canceled the November event also citing security concerns.

It is unclear if Yiannopoulos will make a third attempt to speak at the school.

"I want to see the talk happen but [Yiannopoulos] has had so many cancellations with other events that he's disgusted with it all," said Rectenwald. "I reached out and told him that the talk was postponed but I haven't heard back."

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