Madison Kwiecinski – Editor-in-Chief

Mvk5945@psu.edu 

Penn State was scheduled to host Proud Boys Founder Gavin McInnes at a speaking event on Monday, Oct. 24, until conditions were deemed unsafe due to students protesting the event. Less than an hour before McInnes was supposed to speak, the event was canceled due to a “threat of escalating violence.” 

Since the event was announced, students had been calling for it to be canceled, upset that the university was providing a platform for this speaker. The University has consistently defended the decision to allow McInnes to speak, stating that as a public university the school is “unalterably obligated under the U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment to protect various expressive rights.” 

Penn State has repeatedly described the values of those who were scheduled to speak tonight as being “abhorrent” and not in line with the values of the University. Despite this, in their cancellation statement, the university calls out the actions of those who protested the event. 

“We have encouraged peaceful protest, and, while protest is an acceptable means of expression, it becomes unacceptable when it obstructs the basic exchange of ideas. Such obstruction is a form of censorship, no matter who initiates it or for what reasons,” stated the university. “The climate in our nation has been polarized for quite some time. On campuses across the country, violence is proliferating and individuals are being intimidated and even hardened. This must stop” 

The statement, though diplomatic, appears to condemn the protestors for creating an unsafe environment. However, the Rolling Stone reports that those who were at the protest saw supporters of McInnes, dressed in black protective gear and masks, enter the group of student protestors to spark arguments and escalate the situation. 

A photojournalist who was present at the protests, Zach D. Roberts tweeted, “Here’s the moment that a right-winger went into a crowd of anti-ProudBoy protestors trying to start a fight. Then pepper-sprayed the people around him (including me and @FordFischer). The police watched, not doing anything.”

Attached to his tweet was video footage of the event, which shows people dressed in black and wearing masks prior to the chaos erupting. Additionally, it shows many students carrying signs that read “Shut Down Racists.” 

The university also stated that, “Prior to the event, law enforcement was not aware of any credible threats of violence related to this event: however, police planned for the worst-case scenario, as evident by the large presence of law enforcement officials on site.” 

The event was originally set to be titled “Stand back & Stand By” a title acting as a reference to former President Trump’s speech he gave to the Proud Boys during a 2020 Presidential Debate. McInnes was supposed to be joined by right-wing comedian Alex Stein. 

Penn State President Neeli Bendapudi released a statement the day after the event was supposed to take place, reading, “Tonight, Stein and McInnes will celebrate a victory for being canceled, when in actuality, they contributed to the very violence that comprised their ability to speak,” she stated. “Tonight, counter-protestors also will celebrate a victory that they forced the University to cancel this event, when in actuality they have furthered the visibility of the very cause they oppose.”