On Tuesday, Jessie, Gamble said she received a flier titled "The Racist in Your Class," alleging her group's "close friendships with Neo-Nazis and White Supremacists" and publishing Gamble's personal information, including her phone number and her father's (Photo: KOMO News).

SEATTLE -- Alt-Right speaker Milo Yiannopoulos is scheduled to speak at the University of Washington on Jan. 20, the same day as the inauguration of President-Elect Donald Trump, organizers confirmed Thursday.

Yiannopoulos, a writer for the conservative website Yiannopoulos, a writer for the conservative website Breitbart , was banned from Twitter in 2016 after his followers targeted an African-American actress . He has also been criticized for his involvement in GamerGate , which "claims to promote ethics in gaming journalism but has been condemned for its treatment of women," according to CNN

The College Republicans at the University of Washington decided to invite Yiannopoulos to campus last summer because of his social media following and because he was free, said Jessie Gamble, the group's president.



"We invited Milo because of the safe space culture and what can and cannot be talked about on college campuses. He advised us to break it right open and to keep colleges as a bastion of the free exchange of open ideas," Gamble said.

When asked about Yiannopoulos' background as When asked about Yiannopoulos' background as anti-immigrant and anti-feminist , Gamble said she felt it important for everyone to hear him out -- including those who disagree with his views.

"I think hate speech is arbitrary, depending on the person. Every person has a different threshold of what is going to push them over the edge and what they're going to stand," she said. "It's a hard thing to conceptualize, to have the same rubric for everyone."

The move didn't sit well with some. On Tuesday, Gamble said she received a flier titled "The Racist in Your Class," alleging her group's "close friendships with Neo-Nazis and White Supremacists" and publishing Gamble's personal information, including her phone number and her father's.

"I was a bit shocked. I kind of had an idea that something would happen," she said Thursday. "The fact that it actually did kind of took me for surprise."

"While we welcome all events that have an educational value to the campus, we certainly want to pay attention when somebody's being harassed or threatened," said Maj. Steve Rittereiser with the University of Washington Police Department. "We make sure everyone on campus is safe, whether they're planning events or not."

Rittereiser said they're still in the planning stages for the Jan. 20 event. So far the university was not planning to increase security, he said.

"We support all educational events. Some obviously become controversial, but hopefully the concept here is it's a good learning experience for everyone," Rittereiser said.

The UW College Republicans have been using The UW College Republicans have been using GoFundMe to raise money to pay for insurance for the event and any added security costs, Gamble said. The event, scheduled for 7 pm on Jan. 20th at Kane Hall, is sold out

"Hear ideas, even if you don't agree with them," Gamble said. "Even if you're repulsed by them or you'll never agree with them, hear to at least understand where someone's coming from."

