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Penn State To Host Proud Boys Leader Gavin McInnes For 'Comedy Show'
Protesting students say the event could be dangerous given the Proud Boys’ history of violence at similar events.
Students at Pennsylvania State University are in an uproar after thousands of dollars in student fees were allocated for a campus event later this month featuring Gavin McInnes, founder of the Proud Boys street gang.
The Oct. 24 event, titled "Stand Back & Stand By," will feature McInnes and far-right media figure Alex Steinfor a comedy hour in which the pair will riff on right-wing grievances such as "political correctness, gender roles, and immigration," according to a pitch to sponsor the event from campus conservative organization Uncensored America.
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Students are protesting the plan over not just McInnes's history of violent and bigoted rhetoric but also the potential physical threat posed by the Proud Boys. Not only does McInnes maintain a leadership role with the group — which includes members accused of leading the attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, among many other violent crimes — but his previous appearances at college campuses and similar conservative events have descended into violence.
"'Free Speech' does not mean 'enabling Gavin McInnes to develop and reinforce right-wing extremist networks while padding his wallet and prestige,'" reads a public petition to university administrators penned by the Student Committee for Defense and Solidarity at Penn State. "We demand that the Penn State administration deny Uncensored America permission to sponsor and platform Gavin McInnes with a speaking engagement."
On Tuesday, the university decried McInnes's "vitriolic and hateful language" in a statement. Still, it announced that the event would be allowed to continue "because Penn State fully supports the fundamental right of free speech."
Student Affairs Vice President Damon Sims told HuffPost that administrators were weighing student safety against constitutionally protected speech. He said the school would "respond appropriately as circumstances require."
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There's every reason to believe the Proud Boys will be in attendance at the Penn State event. Over the last week, McInnes has been promoting the event ― and poking fun at protesting students ― on Telegram, his primary platform for communicating with members outside his online talk show.
Even the "Stand Back & Stand By" event title is a reference to the gang: It's a Donald Trump quote from a 2020 presidential debate after the former president was asked to decry the Proud Boys. The gang took Trump's quote as marching orders, and some began preparations for the insurrection. Dozens of Proud Boys stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and five of their leaders face seditious conspiracy charges by the Justice Department. One of those leaders pleaded guilty last week.
In its press release for the event, Uncensored America described McInnes not as a far-right gang leader but as a "comedian, political commentator, entrepreneur, and fashion pioneer."
Despite the risk, students vowed to protest the event in person on Oct. 24.
"Stand up, fight back!" reads a flier posted to Instagram by the Student Committee for Defense and Solidarity. "Actively challenge PSU admin's support of McInnes — other, passive university events, which don't shut down McInnes, are smokescreens that enable neo-fascism."