Milo Yiannopoulos Book Deal & CPAC Speech Cancelled Over Pedophilia Endorsement
Alt-right spokesman and Breitbart news editor Milo Yiannopoulos has had his book deal taken away and his speaking engagement at Conservative Political Action Conference cancelled over allegations that he condones pedophilia. Fellow employees at Breibart news have reportedly threatened to leave the network if action against Milo is not taken.
Milo Yiannopoulos has made a living saying inflammatory things and many on the left regard him as a hate monger with fascist tendencies. Most recently Milo made headlines during a speaking tour of California, where violent protests in Berkeley prevented him from speaking on the UC Berkeley campus. The protest and speech cancellation made international headlines, prompting a discussion of whether or not ‘hate speech’ should be protected under the first amendment.
Now there is an interview from 2016 circulating in which Milo discusses sex between young boys and older men, where he appears to approve the practice in certain instances. The interview is very hard to watch, and not just because it discusses sexual assault but because its participants seem to be living breathing South Park characters who are painfully crass, ignorant, and unaware.
Footage shows Milo discussing the merits of gay relationships between adults and boys as young as 13. And describing them as ‘beneficial’. The backlash from his conservative backers has been swift. On Monday the American Conservative Union, which runs the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) cancelled Milo’s speech. (Trump is scheduled to speak at the same conference this week)
Book publisher Simon & Schuster cancelled Yiannopoulos’s book appropriately titled “Dangerous”, which was due out in June. Furthermore, employees from Breitbart News, where Yiannopoulos is an editor, are also reportedly threatening to leave Breitbart if the company doesn’t take action against Yiannopoulos.
On Facebook Yiannopoulos defended himself writing: “I find those crimes to be absolutely disgusting. I find those people to be disgusting.” Yiannopoulos (who is openly gay) said he regretted using the word “boys” instead of young men while discussing gay relationships with large age gaps. He blamed the impression that he condoned pedophilia on “sloppy editing” and his “usual blend of British sarcasm, provocation and gallows humour”. He also claimed that he himself had been a victim of child abuse.
We are in an age where the Right has embraced a President who has bragged about sexually assaulting women, but for the moment it appears as though conservatives do have their limits. It is yet to be seen whether this latest incident will hurt or help Milo Yiannopoulo’s career with his alt-right following, as his popularity in the past has always thrived on controversy.
