Noah Berger/Reuters
New York University canceled alt-right personality Milo Yiannopoulos’ Halloween appearance late Tuesday, citing “NYPD assessments of risk.” “New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio today requested that NYU postpone and reschedule the classroom appearance by Milo Yiannopoulos for public safety reasons in light of nearby the Halloween parades and NYPD assessments of risk,” the university said in a statement. “Given the importance of close coordination between NYU’s Public Safety personnel and the NYPD to ensuring safety, the University agreed to the postponement.” An NYU professor, Michael Rectenwald, initially invited Yiannopoulos to come to speak to his Global Liberal Studies class on Wednesday. “There is a topic we have been dealing with in the class in the context of global culture,” Rectenwald told The Independent. “Many of the issues we address Milo has addressed in his writing and his talks.” The university said it first heard of Rectenwald’s invitation from news reports on Sunday and said it was working on “safety planning” before the cancellation. Yiannopoulos has spoken on campuses before, often riling up protesters and counter-protesters. “I’ve spent years—and millions of dollars—trying to hold back the tide of political correctness on college campuses,” he told The Independent in an email. “Why would I ever stop, when I’m having so much more fun than my enemies?”