Milo Yiannopoulos Defends ‘Gunning Journalists Down’ Comment After Annapolis Shooting: It Was a ‘Private Joke’

[bostonangler]

Milo Yiannopoulos is battling backlash after the deadly shooting at the Capital Gazette Newspaper in Annapolis, Maryland on Thursday. Many people are speaking out against the right-wing firebrand, pointing to recent comments he made, calling for “gunning journalists down.”

Two days before the shooting, Yiannopoulos, a former Breitbart editor, appeared to threaten two journalists from the New York Observer after they reached out to him with a request for comment. “I can’t wait for the vigilante squads to start gunning journalists down on sight,” he told New York Observer reporters in a text message, which the journalists later released to the public.

Twitter commentators were quick to cast blame on Yiannopoulos for the shooting, arguing that he directly urged violence against journalists. However, Yiannopoulos responded to his accusers with a Facebook post on Thursday afternoon and vehemently denied that his messages could be held responsible for inciting the attack on the Gazette newsroom that left five dead.

 

“You’re about to see a raft of news stories claiming that I am responsible for inspiring the deaths of journalists,” he wrote. “This is wholly false … I made a private, offhand troll to two hostile reporters, who breathlessly publicized it and like vermin their fellow journalists swarmed to remind the world how much they hate Milo.”

In the lengthy Facebook response, Yiannopoulos emphasized that his statement was a “private joke.” “If there turns out to be any dimension to this crime related to my private, misreported remarks, the responsibility for that lies squarely and wholly with the Beast and the Observer for drumming up fake hysteria about a private joke, and with the verified liberals who pretended they thought I was serious,” he wrote.

 

A groundswell of Twitter commentators said they believe that Yiannopoulos should be blamed for inspiring the shooting with his anti-journalist rhetoric. Some also lumped in President Donald Trump, noting POTUS’ anti-media stance.

 

 

America doesn't need this...

B/A

[coorslite21]

Never heard of him.....I also saw where a goat herder in Iowa said much the same thing.....this is only news for those who try to make it news..JMO......CL

[bostonangler]

2 minutes ago, coorslite21 said:

Never heard of him.....I also saw where a goat herder in Iowa said much the same thing.....this is only news for those who try to make it news..JMO......CL

 

Yiannopoulos, a former Breitbart editor.

 

Me neither... I don't read that news source.

 

B/A

[Indraman]

I have posted on Milo in this forum in the past and at times I like his message, but he is a provocateur who from time to time steps over the line for what I believe is civil discourse. This only drives people away who might otherwise listen to his message.

 

However, the article and other news agencies tried to push a motive for this crime as a crime of the Right against the Media. This couldn't be further from the truth and another incident proving MSM bias and "FAKE NEWS".

 

Indy