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8 Arrested During Protests Against Speaker Yiannopoulos At CSU Fullerton

FULLERTON (CBSLA) — Police donned in riot gear attempted to keep back a crowd of protesters Tuesday at California State University, Fullerton, who were there to speak out against far-right, conservative personality Milo Yiannopoulos. Several arrests were made and skirmishes quashed this Halloween night, but it's just par for the course for Yiannopoulos.

The right-wing provocateur spoke at the college as part of his "Troll Academy" tour.

As the name of the event suggests, Yiannopoulos' modus operandi is to stoke outrage, specifically from liberals who see the British-born firebrand as a racist and anti-feminist espousing his ideas under the banner of free speech.

About 800 people were expected to attend the event. Those who did were met with dozens of angry protesters as they exited the venue, exchanging harsh words with the other side.

Police from several jurisdictions were on hand, and they eventually formed a skirmish line declaring an unlawful assembly, giving the demonstrators 10 minutes to disperse.

By night's end, eight people were arrested, and at least one woman was pepper sprayed, an alleged attack by the Yiannopoulos crowd.

(©2017 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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