Davis, CA – Students at the University of California-Davis shut down two alt-right mouthpieces Jan. 13 – fake news editor Milo Yiannopoulos and former pharmaceutical executive Martin Shkreli. Milo Yiannopoulos is known for fake news stories, hate speech, and his hurt feelings when confronted by protesters. Martin Shkreli is infamous for his decision to raise the price of Daraphim, an HIV and cancer drug, by 56 times its original price. Shkreli was also recently suspended from Twitter for sexually harassing a female reporter. This mirrors Yiannopoulos’s ban from Twitter for leading his followers in harassing actor Leslie Jones.

When students and anti-hate protesters began assembling at 5:30 p.m. on Jan. 13, they faced UC campus police and private security with blue barricades blocking the entrances to the building, an odd sight on any campus. However, several protesters were already inside preparing to take action as the last class of the evening was still being taught. Student protesters released a balloon banner inside the lecture hall, reading “Presenting: fascism.”

When the class ended and most students exited, over a dozen demonstrators sprang into action and linked arms across the entrances to the hall. Then campus police began dragging out the demonstrators one by one. One was charged with resisting arrest and taken away. They were picked up from the police station later that night and warmly greeted with food and tea.

Meanwhile, a crowd of about 150 protesters chanted and held signs outside opposing the racist and bigoted Yiannopoulos and his supporters. As police were dragging protesters out, the crowd advanced on the front entrance, eventually breaking through the police barricades. Yiannopoulos’s private security was forced to retreat inside the building, while the police rushed into their place. The demonstrators pushed a banner, “Your fascism is showing” up towards the police and used it to drive them back. The crowd chanted, “Who do you protect? Who do you serve?” and “Move cops, get out the way.”

As the protest continued, demonstrator Antifa Sacramento chased off white supremacist Nathan Damigo, who was attempting to troll the protest. Then a Trump supporter was escorted away by demonstrators after a woman knocked his MAGA hat off his head. Right-wing men attempted to grope women in the protest, but were quickly shoved away. A man wearing a “Don’t tread on me” shirt was seen harassing people in the crowd and threatening violence with a hammer, but he retreated when the attention of the crowd focused on him. In another instance somebody threw coffee on a right-wing reporter who was harassing students.

Martin Shkreli made a brief appearance, his voice drowned out by dozens of people blowing rape whistles at him. One demonstrator was recorded throwing dog poop at Shkreli’s face.

Earlier in his tour, Milo Yiannopoulos verbally attacked West Virginia University professor Daniel Brewster, using anti-gay slurs and mocking his appearance. At the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Yiannopoulo targeted a trans woman fighting for transgender rights on campus. The UW-Milwaukee student was forced to drop out of the university due to harassment and personal threats. By taking away Yiannopoulo’s platform, he was unable to target anybody at UCD.

The demonstrators made it clear that the protest was not simply about stopping Milo from speaking. None of the signs in the protest made any mention of Yiannopoulo, instead rallying against his bigoted views and the hate messages he spreads.

“The point is challenging larger systems of oppression, showing marginalized communities that there are people who will help them defend themselves, and showing those who might harass and assault the most vulnerable among us that they will have to deal with significant resistance to do so,” said Connor Gorman, a campus protest organizer.

Students for a Democratic Society at UC-Davis, Students and Workers ending Racial Violence, Antifa Sacramento, and Davis Phoenix Coalition made it clear that Yiannopoulo’ss racism, sexism, xenophobia, anti-Semitism, ableism and transphobia will not be tolerated, and will be shut down.

#DavisCA #SDS #Antiracism #Antifascism #MiloYiannopoulos #altright #MartinShkreli