How wonderful it is that we live in a western liberal democracy.

How terrific that we live in a society where diversity of opinion is permitted, for all the robust debate it generates.

How pleasing it is to me that British classrooms are a place where ideas are critically examined.

That said, sometimes in our rush to ensure that all viewpoints are covered in our teaching, we can sometimes make some fairly resounding mistakes.

That’s the only reason I can think of Milo Yiannopolous’ invitation to speak at his old school Simon Langton Boy’s School, near Canterbury. 

Fortunately, the DfE has stepped in to cancel the event - their Counter-Extremism Unit, no less.

However, the episode forces us in the education community to ponder the question: where does provocation end and the spread of hatred begin? 

For those who have somehow managed to avoid Yiannopolous’ oeuvre, he has served as the poster boy for the Alternative Right (Alt-Right) group for the last few years, playing a large role in their rise to prominence. 

Most prominently, he has worked for the white nationalist website Breitbart, churning out inflammatory articles with headlines like “Would you rather your child have feminism or cancer?”.

Due to his acerbic prose he’s risen through the ranks after joining as tech editor. 

When he’s not writing, the relentless self-promoter has taken his “Dangerous Faggot” speaking tour across university campuses in the US and UK, each date a rambling couple of hours spent railing at feminism, PC culture and most prominently Islam - a topic he has special antipathy towards. 

To top things off, he is one of the few prominent individuals to be banned from Twitter, after leading a mob after Ghostbusters star Leslie Jones earlier this year. 

Now, I will be the first to note that what a lot of Yiannopolous does is with tongue firmly in cheek.

He is, by his own admission, at turns a satirist and a clown. He has taken the art of trolling to unprecedented levels and made him a wealthy man. 

That said, is it the right thing to do for a school to invite someone who has made a career out of marginalising others from his digital pulpit? 

Yes, Yiannopolous is a satirist, but he mostly punches down on his targets.

He cracks a good joke and looks good in a suit, but he’s spends an awful lot of time trying to invoke fears in his readers - he recently wrote his last column from London, bemoaning a “Muslim takeover”. 

In short, he makes intolerance look cool, edgy. 

At a time when the nation is more divided than it has been in decades, is it the moral thing to do to invite a high-profile speaker whose entire schtick is peddling a fear of the ‘other’? 

Yes, we live in a country that must always resoundingly revel in and defend freedom of expression. I don’t for one moment question that.

However, is it not our duty as educators to create a safe learning environment for our young people? 

The cancelling of Milo Yiannopolous’ speaking engagement will undoubtedly create a wealth of publicity, both for Simon Langton Boy’s School and Milo himself (he’s already got an article up on Breitbart).

It will undoubtedly lead to a storm of articles in the British press. Right-wing blogs will run with tales of the censorious British school system. 

As the sturm and drang approaches, I ask you: Surely there’s a better way to teach young people about differing political views than playing into the vain sideshow of a professional agitator?

Mike Stuchbery is a teacher and blogger. He tweets as @MrMStuchbery

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