Milo Yiannopoulos’ Australian tour cancelled, fans not offered refund on tickets

ALT-right provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos’ Australian tour has been cancelled at the last minute, with the promoter refusing to offer fans a refund.

ALT-right provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos’ Australian tour has been cancelled, and frustrated fans are fuming.

Yiannopoulos was set to touch down with his entourage, including “queen of right-wing media” Ann Coulter, in late November.

Controversial conservative Senator Fraser Anning announced in September he’d also be joining the speaking tour.

But those who’d splashed anywhere between $79 to $499 on tickets to the two-hour sessions received an email from promoter AE Media on Monday, saying the shows had been cancelled due to “unforeseen circumstances”.

Mr Yiannopoulos was set to touch down in Australia in late November. Picture: Michael Masters/Getty Images

Rather than offering fans a refund, the promoter said their tickets would be honoured at self-described “western chauvinist” Gavin McInnes’, the head of American group Proud Boys.

He describes the group as a “gang” of which only men are admitted, and who are encouraged to brawl with left-wing groups.

McInnes will be speaking alongside anti-islam campaigner Tommy Robinson, who recently spent two months in jail after being sentenced for contempt of court.

Mr Yiannopoulos appeared to be surprised by the news, confirming the cancellation via Instagram and Facebook.

“Yesterday, I woke up to the news that my Australian tour with Ann had been cancelled and the promoter was “transferring” tickets to another series of events,” he wrote.

“This is illegal. If you’re a ticket holder and want a refund, they are obliged to give you one and I will make sure that happens.”

Mr Yiannopoulos, who recently declared Australia was the last remaining bastion of free speech, said he would tour in 2019 and would make sure the promoters fulfilled their refund obligations.

Punters were not offered a refund by the promoter. Picture: annandmilolive.com.au

Outraged fans flooded the conservative commentator’s social media pages, dismayed the tour had been cancelled.

“How dare they presume to substitute you and Ann with other speakers and not offer a refund upfront,” one fan wrote on Facebook.

“Me and my partner waited 8 months to see you and now we are devastated about it being cancelled,” another said.

“It’s like paying for a mystery flight and landing in f***ing Kalgoorlie,” a fan wrote on Yiannopoulos’ Instagram post.

Ann Coulter is a well-known American conservative commentator. Picture: Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images

A spokesman for Fraser Anning for said the “promoter wasn’t able to provide any explanation as to the reasons for the cancellation.”

Senator Anning told News Corp Australia it was “disappointing”

“I am not involved in any subsequent replacement tour,” he said.

“However, if an opportunity presented itself for a future tour then I would be keen to join.”

The Senator, known for his “racist” maiden speech, said the tour was an opportunity to communicate his message “on the crisis facing our nation”.

“We have seen the erosion of traditional Judaeo-Christian values as Australian politicians have marched further to the left,” he said.

“We have also seen a progressive ethno-cultural transformation, which if it continues, will lead to a fundamental shift in our Australian identity.

“I seek to draw the attention of the Australian people to this and to ask them whether this is the kind of society they want.”

Fraser Anning announced in September he was excited to join the tour with Ms Coulter and Mr Yiannopoulos. Picture: Gary Ramage

Mr Yiannopoulos’ 2017 Australian tour sparked violent protests, perhaps most evident in Victoria, where his Melbourne show required an additional 300 police to break up riots.

Taxpayers were left a $50,000 security bill, one that Victorian Police Minister Lisa Neville confirmed had not been paid.

“Invoicing commercial event organisers is a matter for Victoria Police, but taxpayers shouldn’t front up where this individual has failed to do so, particularly when he is spreading messages of hate and division,” she told News Corp in August.

“It’s important to remember that the individual in question made a lot of money from his last tour and it was the Victorian taxpayer who had to foot the bill for his lack of organisation with Victoria Police.”