Anger as Penn State says it will host Proud Boys founder Gavin McInnes for ‘comedy night’

Penn State University has reportedly invited Proud Boys founder Gavin McInnes and far-right comedian Alex Stein — who sexually harassed Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on the steps of the Capitol — to perform at the campus.

HuffPost reporter and author of We Are Proud Boys: How a Right-Wing Street Gang Ushered in a New Era of American ExtremismAndy Campbell obtained the minutes from a Penn State student-organisation appropriations meeting, which included a description of the proposed event featuring McInnes.

"This program will enhance student life by giving students an opportunity to hear different political viewpoints in a funny and entertaining way on campus. As a Canadian immigrant and seasoned entrepreneur, Gavin McInnes offers a unique perspective that will challenge students on both sides of the political spectrum to think about many issues, such as free speech, political correctness, gender roles, and immigration. In addition, Alex Stein to question hypocrisies on all sides of relevant issues, such as COVID, the Russia-Ukraine War, and the upcoming midterms," the minutes sheet says.

A right-wing group called "Uncensored America" pitched the event to the university, describing it as a fun night of comedy.

"Like many great comedians that have come before, both Gavin and Alex push the boundaries of comedy in a thought-provoking manner in order to get people to think differently about the world. Unlike typical comedy shows, Gavin and Alex will take questions from the audience during a Q&A session," the group wrote. "They not only want to have a fun dialogue with people who agree and disagree, but they also want to challenge everyone to think deeper about how we can make America a better place to live in. This engagement will allow for a dialogue to start on many issues important to students that will hopefully continue after the event is over. "

McInnes' ties to the Proud Boys were not included in the group's pitch.

A former leader of the Proud Boys, Jeremy Bertino, pleaded guilty to seditious conspiracy for his participation in the Capitol riot. The Justice Department believes gangs including the Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers were involved in the organisation and execution of the attempted insurrection.

While McInnes has attempted to put distance between himself and the Proud Boys in recent years, the name of the event — "Stand Back & Stand By," referencing the message former President Donald Trump gave to the right-wing street gang during a 2020 presidential debate — makes clear the event's organisers are aware of the connection.

The university's decision to sanction the event has frustrated some liberal and left-leaning students not only because McInnes has a history of promoting violence and bigotry, but because numerous Proud Boys events have turned violent in the past.

A petition organised by Penn State student organisation the Student Committee for Defense and Solidarity has collected more than 800 signatures and calls for the university to shut down the event.

Anticipating "free speech" arguments against their cause, the group argued that McInnes could exercise his right to free speech without collecting a check from the university.

"Uncensored America manipulates the rhetoric of 'free speech' and 'ideas' in order to provide ideological cover for funneling money and resources away from Penn State students and into the hands of far-right extremist individuals and groups," the group wrote in the petition. "'Free Speech' does not mean 'enabling Gavin McInnes to develop and reinforce right-wing extremist networks while padding his wallet and prestige.'"

The university issued a statement on Tuesday attempting to distance itself from the event, noting that the "presence of any speaker on our campuses should not be taken as an endorsement by Penn State, and we can emphatically say that our University neither supports nor condones the vitriolic and hateful language targeting particular groups that has been used by these speakers in the past, which is contrary to the University's fundamental values of inclusion and mutual respect."

Penn State also confirmed in the letter that it was aware of the movement to get the event cancelled, but made clear it would proceed as planned.

"As a public university, we are unalterably obligated under the U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment to protect various expressive rights, even for those whose viewpoints offend our basic institutional values and our personal sensibilities," the university said in the statement.

Though the event will be funded using student money, the decision to fund Uncensored America was made by the University Park Allocating Committee, a student-run appropriations board that operates independent of the university.

Penn State is hosting two other events on the same night and at the same time as the Gavin McInnes show. One will "celebrate all those who make Penn State, Penn State" and the other will feature journalist Al Tompkins of the Poynter Institute discussing propaganda and disinformation.

Members of the Student Committee for Defense and Solidarity have posted fliers around campus calling on their fellow students to protest the administration’s decision to provide a venue to McInnes.

This article was amended on 13 October 2022. It previously referred to Jeremy Bertino as The Proud Boys’ former leader, but he was one of several leaders within the movement and not its overall number one.