Students at the University of Glasgow are set to protest the nomination of “alt-right troll” Milo Yiannopoulos as university rector, claiming his election would “spread hatred” on campus.
Groups are expected to surround the main gates of the university on Thursday during hustings for the position - an honorary role that represents the entire student body.
“Milo Yiannopoulos is a Trump-supporting alt-right troll who recently became infamous for his comments supporting paedophilia,” the university’s Anarchist Student Group, who have organised the demonstration, claim.
“He has written numerous articles for Breitbart and made comments attacking foreign students, women in science, the LGBTQI+ community (transgender students in particular), and anyone who disagrees with him,” the group continued.
“He has repeatedly used speeches on university campuses to target students, and encouraged his followers to harass them.”
Students will also protest the nomination of Professor Jordan Peterson, a University of Toronto lecturer who refused to use gender neutral pronouns.
The student anarchists added: “We do not equate Jordan Peterson with the fascist troll Yiannopoulos; however, both represent to varying degrees the intolerant trope, currently on the rise in the West, of privileged voices that seek to silence and oppress others.
“In addition, both have expressed views that are diametrically opposed to the university’s equality policy.”
However, the students stress that the protest is not intended to be a “limitation on free speech”, arguing that the nominees have “ample opportunity to spread their bigotry elsewhere”.
“As they are ‘free’ to spout their venomous views from positions of privilege and power, we are also ‘free’ to protest them,” they said.
The planned demonstrations follow a petition signed by more than 3,500 people demanding the two men are removed from the ballot to become rector.
However, Glasgow University has refused to alter the nominations, with a spokesperson adding on Tuesday: “We support the right of our students to take part in peaceful demonstrations”.
The hustings could see Yiannopoulos debate fellow nominees including former Lib Dem MP Vince Cable and human rights activists Aamer Anwar, who called the alt-right journalist a “vicious troll” with “gutter views” in a blog on The Huffington Post UK.
When asked last week whether he would attend the debate on Thursday, Yiannopoulos said: “I have a lot of money and it’s only a plane ride away from my home in Miami.
“Despite its garrulous dranks and drab, spiky-haired lesbian ‘comedians’, Glasgow is a great town,” he continued. “And I like a drink and a smoke as much as the next gay boy.”
However, images from the reporter’s Facebook page appear to show him on holiday in Hawaii.
Glasgow University’s current rector Edward Snowden will be replaced on March 21 following a student vote.