Milo Yiannopoulos’ brief visit was ‘most expensive photo op’ in Cal history

Latest updates from UC Berkeley on an appearance by right-wing commentator Milo Yiannopoulos and protests against him.

1:50 p.m. Expensive selfies: Yiannopoulos’ 15-minute appearance on the steps of Sproul Hall cost UC Berkeley an estimated $800,000 in security and related expenses, campus spokesman Dan Mogulof said. He called it “the most expensive photo op in the university’s history.”

1:30 p.m. Yiannopoulos complains: Yiannopoulos complained about the crowd size to The Chronicle after his brief appearance at Sproul Plaza. In a text message he said, “I hope you’re reporting that the police kept HUNDREDS (400-500) of supporters outside to make the crowd look tiny. There were 500 people waiting to get in. They let in 75.”

1:25 p.m. Protesters on the move: Several dozen anti-Yiannopoulos protesters marched down Telegraph Avenue from Bancroft Way to Durant Avenue and turned east. A handful of Yiannopoulos supporters marched alongside, even as the protesters chanted at them, “No Trump, no KKK, no fascist USA.”

1 p.m. Sproul Plaza empty: Sproul Plaza was mostly empty less than an hour after Yiannopoulos made a brief appearance Sunday. Police remained in the area, as Yiannopoulos supporters in “Make America Great Again” hats lingered in the area and used the plaza as backdrops for selfies. Police disassembled a metal detector that people had to pass through to watch Yiannopoulos.

12:50 p.m. Protester arrested: One person was arrested during a protest just off campus. Keith Sherman, 30, of Oakland was arrested for allegedly carrying a banned weapon and wearing a mask during the commission of a crime, Berkeley police said.

12:40 p.m. Yiannopoulos gone? After chatting with supporters, taking selfies and chanting, “USA!” Yiannopoulos jumped over the double barriers restricting access to Sproul Plaza and left with his entourage.

His appearance lasted about 15 minutes. It was unclear whether he planned to return.

Milo Yiannopoulos speaks to a few dozen supporters on the steps of Sprout Hall at University of California Berkeley in Berkeley, Calif., on Sunday, September 24, 2017. The small showing of conservative supporters were dwarfed by the hundreds of protesters kept outside the speaking area. less Milo Yiannopoulos speaks to a few dozen supporters on the steps of Sprout Hall at University of California Berkeley in Berkeley, Calif., on Sunday, September 24, 2017. The small showing of conservative ... more Photo: Carlos Avila Gonzalez, The Chronicle Buy photo Photo: Carlos Avila Gonzalez, The Chronicle Image 1 of / 15 Caption Close Milo Yiannopoulos’ brief visit was ‘most expensive photo op’ in Cal history 1 / 15 Back to Gallery

“That’s a question only he can answer,” UC Berkeley spokesman Dan Mogulof said.

12:31 p.m. Berkeley Patriot waits in line: Leaders of the Berkeley Patriot, the student group that had invited Yiannopoulos but then cancelled the event, waited in line with hundreds of others trying to get into Sproul Plaza. They were still waiting as Yiannopoulos sang and signed autographs inside.

12:25 p.m. Yiannopoulos sings. Yiannopoulos launched into a rendition of the National Anthem and blew kisses to the crowd as protesters yelled at him. He ignored them and shortly after was escorted away from the steps and behind Sproul Hall.

12:15 p.m. Yiannopoulos snapping selfies at Sproul. Yiannopoulos was standing on the steps of Sproul Plaza snapping selfies with fans and autographing their protest signs.

Some people are hugging him and waving banners in support. He was wearing an American flag scarf around his neck.

12:10 p.m. ‘Based Stickman’ on campus. President Trump supporter Kyle Chapman, who calls himself “Based Stickman,” has arrived at UC Berkeley.

Chapman, a 41-year-old Daly City man, became a cause celebre for many on the far right after a widely circulated video appeared to show him beating a demonstrator with a stick at a March 4 protest in Berkeley.

A judge ordered Chapman to stay away from a right-wing gathering last month in downtown Berkeley. He has pleaded not guilty to a felony charge of possessing a leaded cane.

12:05 p.m. Yiannopoulos arrives. Yiannopoulos and an entourage have arrived at the campus, officials say.

Noon: Yiannopoulos has to stand in line. Yiannopoulos will be required to go through metal detectors like everyone else, university officials said.

11:45 a.m.: Sproul Plaza opening: UC Berkeley officials are opening Sproul Plaza in anticipation of right-wing commentator Milo Yiannopoulos’ arrival.

Authorities set up a metal detector at the entrance to Sproul Plaza. Several hundred people were in line for the metal detector and were milling around on Bancroft Way.

In a statement, UC Berkeley spokesman Dan Mogulof said Yiannopoulos and members of the public would be held to rules that include, “No bags. Consistent with the already-posted security restrictions, nothing that UCPD determines to be of a size and weight that would allow it to be used as a weapon. No amplified sound.”

11:35 a.m.

As the number of protesters and Yiannopoulos supporters grew in anticipation of his arrival, police officers have moved into position between the two sides. Demonstrators were shouting at each other, but there was no violence.

Meanwhile businesses along Bancroft Way began shutting down in anticipation of the arrival of Yiannopoulos’ advertised noon arrival.

Accompanying him as speakers were far-right commentators Pamela Gellar and Mike Cernovich, pro-President Trump street artist SABO, conservative author Lisa De Pasquale and former UC Irvine College Republicans President Ariana Rowlands, according to Yiannopoulos’ organization.

Tyler DeChance, a 22-year-old Berkeley City College student studying computer programming, sat off to the side of the crowd. He was wearing a Trump-Pence Make America Great Again shirt and said he was “passively protesting.”

“It's crazy it’s gotten this hyped up over a Republican speaker,” he said.

DeChance said he was slightly concerned about his safety, but that he’s been hit and threatened at these protests before. “People should be able to speak regardless of their views,” he said.

11:10 a.m. The crowd gathering at the south entrance to campus has swelled to about 200 people, where Sproul Plaza remains blocked off.

Businesses on Bancroft Way on the south edge of UC Berkeley were still open, and owners stood in their doorways watching the events unfold across the street. Dozens of police officers wearing helmets and with sticks on their belts waited on the sidewalk and behind barricades.

Protesters opposing and supporting Yiannopoulos yelled at each other, but there was no violence.

A woman shouting into a megaphone chanted, “No Trump, no KKK, no fascist USA,” adding, “We will not let Berkeley become another Charlottesville.”

Nearby, others held signs that said, “Milo is love, Milo is life, Milo is liberty.” Some people wearing “Make America Great Again” baseball caps shouted, “USA,” at the woman.

10:40 a.m. Two dozen protesters chanted outside Sproul Plaza as an equal number of supporters of President Trump gathered nearby, several wearing Make America Great Again caps.

“No Milo, no ICE, Berkeley is a sanctuary,” the anti-Yiannopoulos protesters yelled.

The two sides occasionally exchanged verbal barbs, sparring over communism and other issues.

University officials were in contact with Yiannopoulis’ organization and said there were plans for if and when he shows up, said Dan Mogulof, a UC Berkeley spokesman. He declined to provide specifics.

10:10 a.m.: Dozens of police officers filed off charter buses to stage near Sproul Plaza as a handful of protesters milled outside the south entrance to campus on Telegraph Avenue.

Yiannopoulos still vowed to show up at noon, saying on social media that he “won’t accept failure or defeat ... and they better not try to stop me.”

Jaime Abad of Union City, a Yiannopoulos supporter, showed up before 10 a.m. with a shield, megaphone and umbrellas, but was turned away by police, who banned such items from the area.

He said he was “super excited” to see Yiannopoulos.

“I've done a 180,” said Abad, 50. “I used to be one of these ‘Down with America’ guys.”

9:40 a.m.: Concrete and plastic barricades blocked access to UC Berkeley’s Sproul Plaza on Sunday as the university prepared for a promised appearance by ultraconservative provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos and a planned protest rally.

Police officers from as far away as UC Davis sipped coffee and waved pedestrians away from the plaza, which was empty.

Just off campus, a group of volunteers set up folding chairs in an “empathy tent,” offering attendees a calm alternative to a potentially volatile confrontation later in the day.

Yiannopoulos said his noon appearance was still on despite the cancellation of all Free Speech Week events by conservative student organizers Saturday.

Protesters were planning to gather starting at 10 a.m. “to counter Milo’s attempts to spew his poison,” according to organizers with the group Resist Fascism.

With Sproul Plaza under lockdown, it was unclear where Yiannopoulos or the protesters would gather.

Lizzie Johnson, Kimberly Veklerov, Nanette Asimov and Evan Sernoffsky are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: ljohnson@sfchronicle.com, kveklerov@sfchronicle.com, nasimov@sfchronicle.com and esernoffsky@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @lizziejohnsonnn, @KVeklerov, @NanetteAsimov, @EvanSernoffsky.