Brietbart editor's appearance at UC Berkeley canceled amid violent protest tonight

BERKELEY, Calif.

Combined dispatches

A talk by polarizing Breitbart News editor Milo Yiannopoulos has been canceled on the campus of UC Berkeley after a group of protesters began throwing smoke bombs and flares at the student union building where he had been scheduled to speak tonight.

Various reports say he is no longer on the campus.

Some of the protesters are pulling away metal barricades as police in riot gear guard the building.

Hundreds of peaceful demonstrators carrying signs that read “Hate Speech Is Not Free Speech” had been protesting for hours before the scheduled event.

A small group dressed in black and some in hooded sweatshirts showed up and began throwing flares and other objects at the building.

The 32-year-old right wing provocateur is a vocal supporter of President Donald Trump and a self-proclaimed internet troll whose comments have been criticized as racist, misogynist, anti-Muslim and white supremacist. He was tied to the social media campaign against Saturday Night Live actress Leslie Jones after her movie "Ghostbusters' was released.

His visit to Berkeley was sponsored by the campus Republican club.