Banned Milo Yiannopoulos and Julie Bindel to debate in Durham

Suck it Manchester

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Newly formed Men’s Issues Awareness Society have invited Julie Bindel and Milo Yiannopulos to speak at Durham after they were banned from speaking at Manchester.

Milo Yiannopulous is a controversial figure and recently held a two-person protest where he held a sign saying “Rape culture and Harry Potter: both fantasy.”

For her part, Julie Bindel has angered many trans people and is part of the NUS’ policy of No Platform.

Milo Yiannopulos  (Credit: Dan Taylor)

They’ve been invited to take part in the first Men’s Issues Awareness Society debate: “Are men a privileged group in modern Britain?” The group was accused last year of being a Men’s Rights Action group, despite a positive reaction by many.

The decision by Manchester to withdraw their offer was due to student concerns about the speaker’s earlier comments.

Milo Yiannopulos told The Tab: “You can no longer be assured of a fair hearing on a British university campus – unless of course you’re an insane, man-hating third-wave feminist or an apologist for radical Islam, in which case Student Unions roll out the red carpet.”

“Controversial” Milo

“Until perhaps ten or fifteen years ago, you’d have been up against it to argue that men were some kind of oppressed class.

“And truthfully, they’re not, even today, even though there are all kinds of structural disadvantages to being a man baked into education, the legal system, social mores and the way the media reports on anything to do with gender.

“But nor are women. Women have achieved equality of access and treatment in almost every conceivable realm of life and work.

“Yet the rhetoric from feminists has never been more hateful, shrill and absurd. Modern feminism is in total disarray and abject crisis.

“Why? Because the movements has nothing left to fight for, so it comes up with bizarre and ludicrous conspiracy theories like the “patriarchy” to sustain itself. What a pathetic end to such a noble historic movement.”

Men’s Issues Awareness Society founder, Adam Frost told The Tab: “While I do not agree with everything Milo says, I think that his central position within the movement to recognise men’s issues as the gendered issues they are, means he will have many insightful things to say on the issue.”

Adam Frost

He said: “His arguments tend to be based on facts and figures, not ideology, which i think is central to reaching the truth, and so I think he could be a really positive part of the debate.

“And you can be sure he’ll kick start some lively debate given his history. Also, his hair is fabulous.”

Whether nosy NUS officials will ban the event remains to be seen but either way Manchester proved that even by trying to silence these voices freedom of speech has a way of getting out.

The debate will be held on 29th October. Location TBA, at 20:30.