Milo Yiannopoulos promoters won’t pay $50,000 Victoria Police bill

THE PROMOTER who bought far-Right firebrand Milo Yiannopoulos to Melbourne won’t pay Victoria Police’s $50,000 bill for its presence at Monday’s riot, saying they’ve paid their share.

THE ORGANISER behind controversial Milo Yiannopoulos’ Melbourne event is refusing to cough up $50,000 to cover the cost of police after a violent protest broke out.

Penthouse publisher Damien Costas, the man who organised Milo Yiannopoulos’s tour, told 3AW he had no intention of paying the five-figure bill from Victoria Police, following the Kensington clash.

Mr Costas said he’d already paid the agreed amount of $5000 to $6000.

Milo Yiannopoulos should not have been allowed in Australia, writes Susie O’Brien

Conservative activist Avi Yemini said protests outside Milo Yiannopoulos speech was like being in the Middle East

Milo Yiannopoulos: Police clash with protestors outside Sydney event

No police plan in place for Milo Yiannopoulos’ Gold Coast visit tomorrow

Right-wing British provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos’ promoters will be hit with a $50,000 bill from Victoria Police. Picture: AFP/ Mark Graham

“I can’t imagine we would (pay the larger bill),” he said.

“In Melbourne they were talking about a user pays model but a particular sergeant at our head of security we were dealing with said ‘We’d like you to pay for the barriers, bollards etc’.”

“I think the entire thing was about five or $6000.”

“I paid what I was asked to pay. Anything over and above that we can determine.”

“This is actually asking the victim to pay the bill.”

He said user-pay models were discussed in every state and he’d paid about $9000 for police in the Gold Coast and nothing in New South Wales.

Supporters of the far-Right figure were involved in violent clashes with left-wing protesters on Monday night in Kensington.

Hundreds of police were called in with some using capsicum spray to subdue rioters.

Mr Costas said the 3000 attendees didn’t do anything wrong rather those uninvited threw rocks.

Police Minister Lisa Neville told the radio station on Wednesday the event’s promoters would have to foot the bill, which would be at least $50,000.

She said billing event organisers for police resources was commonplace.

“For these sort of rallies, but also for the AFL and those big events there is an agreement around the costs,” she said.

Ms Neville said she was confident Mr Yiannopoulos would cough up.

“(It’s a) big call to say you’re going to ignore a bill from Victoria Police,” she said.

Mr Costas said the police presence was executed with “military precision” and there were also 70 security guards at the event.

[e-mail]

@edjgardiner