Pennsylvania State University on Monday canceled a comedy event that was supposed to be co-hosted by the founder of the far-right group Proud Boys, after demonstrations against speakers turned violent.
Officials at Penn State University previously said they would host an event featuring Proud Boys founder Gavin McInnes to support free speech, but the speaker’s “bitter, hateful He was criticizing what was called “words”.
However, the university reversed course just before Monday night’s event and campus police determined it should be canceled due to “threats of escalating violence,” the statement said.
In a statement, university dean Neiri Vendapdi said peaceful street protests against the event turned violent. is her “understanding”.
“It’s unclear which individuals at the scene subsequently engaged in physical confrontation or used pepper spray against others in the crowd, including police officers,” she said, adding that no one was injured. The university did not immediately respond to a request for further comment, and campus police declined to comment.
Billed as a “politically provocative” comedy, the event is hosted by the nonprofit Uncensored America, which hosts “honest and fun conversations with controversial figures to fight censorship and cancel culture.” was organized by
Uncensored America was founded two years ago by Sean Semanko, radio host and field organizer for President Donald J. Trump’s 2020 campaign, who attended Penn State University. Neither the group nor McInnes or Stein were available for comment early Tuesday morning.
McInnes is a British-born Canadian who became a far-right provocateur after working for a hipster magazine in Montreal that moved to Brooklyn. In his 2016 in New York he founded the first official chapter of the Proud Boys.
In January 2021, the Proud Boys were at the center of a violent attack on the United States Capitol. Dozens of members have been charged in connection with the attacks.
Protests against conservative and right-wing speakers on U.S. college campuses have in recent years brought national attention to the question of whether campuses are shutting out politically unpopular viewpoints.
Vendapdi, who took office as the university’s president in May, defended the university’s initial decision to allow comedy events in a statement Tuesday, saying it reflected the university’s support for the constitutional right to free speech. Stated.
Ms Vendapdi also expressed support for students who peacefully protested against the speaker, and she was among the hundreds of faculty, staff, students and others who gathered at an event celebrating diversity at the university on Monday. I pointed out that there was