UC warns campus group: Yiannopoulos event could target students

UC Berkeley officials are warning the hosts of a Wednesday night event featuring right-wing provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos that his campus speech may be used to target individual students in the country without documentation.

“We are deeply concerned for all students’ safety and ability to pursue their education here at Cal beyond Milo’s speech,” the university’s Office of Student Affairs said in a letter Tuesday to the Berkeley College Republicans, the students hosting the event. “Milo’s event may be used to target individuals, either in the audience or by using their personal information in a way that causes them to become human targets to serve a political agenda.”

The letter expressed concerns that Yiannopoulos — a British writer for the right-wing opinion site Breitbart News — will use his appearance to kick off a campaign “targeting the undocumented student community on our campus,” and linked to an article published Tuesday on the site.

The article begins: “Milo and the (conservative think tank) David Horowitz Freedom Center have teamed up to take down the growing phenomenon of ‘sanctuary campuses’ that shelter illegal immigrants from being deported.”

Milo Yiannopoulos holds a sign as he speaks at the University of Colorado campus in Boulder, Colo., Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2017. Yiannopoulos is an editor at the alt-right website Breitbart News. The alt-right is an offshoot of conservatism mixing racism, white nationalism and populism. (Jeremy Papasso/Daily Camera via AP) less Milo Yiannopoulos holds a sign as he speaks at the University of Colorado campus in Boulder, Colo., Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2017. Yiannopoulos is an editor at the alt-right website Breitbart News. The alt-right is ... more Photo: Jeremy Papasso, Associated Press Photo: Jeremy Papasso, Associated Press Image 1 of / 7 Caption Close UC warns campus group: Yiannopoulos event could target students 1 / 7 Back to Gallery

It continues: “Backed by the Freedom Center (Yiannopoulos) will call for the withdrawal of federal grants and the prosecution of university officials who endanger their students with their policies, starting with UC President and former Secretary of Homeland Security, Janet Napolitano and Berkeley Chancellor Nicholas Dirks.”

The article coincides with an executive order issued Friday by President Donald Trump banning travel to the United States from citizens of seven majority-Muslim countries for 90 days that has wreaked havoc in international travel and left many students stranded.

The UC Berkeley letter warns the Republican hosts of the event that Yiannopoulos could target individual students — holding up their photos or revealing personal information about them — during the speech that will be live-streamed, “putting students at risk.”

“Other targeted groups on our campus have experienced Horowitz’ tactic of publicizing the names and pictures of individuals on posters throughout campus property, and there is a likelihood that there will be Horowitz-backed posters pasted throughout our campus,” the letter said.

Representatives of the Berkeley College Republicans did not respond to requests for comment.

Meanwhile, hundreds of Yiannopoulos critics — students, faculty and others — have been preparing to protest the campus event.

Nanette Asimov is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: nasimov@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @NanetteAsimov