A Proud Boys founder and far-right British political commentator are scheduled to visit the University of South Carolina in attendance at an event planned by a student group for Wednesday evening.
The event will be hosted by student chapter of Uncensored America, which says it is dedicated to “fighting for freedom of speech. Free speech is not just a part of our country’s constitution, it’s also a part of our culture. It’s about being able to have truly honest and fun conversations in America.”
The event is promoted as a “roast” of Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee for president according to a poster promoting the event with her name spelled incorrectly to make a crude joke.
The event has drummed up controversy because of its two guests Gavin McInnes, who founded the Southern Poverty Law Center designated hate group Proud Boys in 2016, will attend alongside Milo Yiannopoulos.
Yiannopoulos was a former editor of Breitbart News but resigned after videos were released of him appearing to defend sexual relationships between men and boys as young as 13, according to AP.
A petition with more than 26,000 signatures since it began on Aug. 25 continues to gain momentum.
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“It is concerning that speakers, who have a history of verbally assaulting and harassing USC alumni with homophobic and sexist remarks, have been provided a platform at Russell House. The student organization responsible for this event has also been observed using inappropriate and offensive language in the past,” The petition reads.
Others have chimed in with their opposition to the event. The NAACP called on the university’s president to cancel the roast.
“Hate speech has long served as a weapon to undermine the progress of our nation. At a time where we are witnessing groundbreaking history, bad actors aim to cast a dark shadow on those very achievements,” NAACP President and Ceo Derrick Johnson said in a statement. “If South Carolina University’s leadership values their Black students, it’s only right they shut this event down. Our nation’s schools must remain havens for learning, not platforms for hate. It is imperative that the university takes swift action in this matter and protects the campus community from patterns of divisiveness and degradation.”
The university says it has adopted the Chicago Principles, “which pledge to remove obstacles to constitutionally protected free expression on our campuses.”
“We remain steadfast in safeguarding the First Amendment rights of our students, even when we may be offended by their choices and statements,” Michael Amiridis and Thad Westbrook, chair of the university’s Board of Trustees, said in a joint statement sent to students.
The statement said that the university denounces “hate and bigotry” and denounced the “vile and juvenile rhetoric used to promote this event.”
Zach Greenberg, a faculty legal defense and student association counsel with the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, a free speech nonprofit, said the First Amendment limits the ways universities can respond to the event. For example, he said, the university could not prevent the happening by telling them not to hold it directly, or indirectly, by charging high security fees or making it difficult to book rooms.
Greenberg also said the First Amendment is “pretty clear that there is no hateful speech exception.”
“Speech that is hateful or derogatory or vulgar is still protected by the First Amendment,” Greenberg said. He also added that if the university starts to “crack down” on some speech but not others, it can set a harmful precedent.
Greenberg said there are plenty of ways to respond, including counter-protesting, having their own event or speaking out against it.
Savannah Moss covers politics for the Greenville News. Reach her at smoss@gannett.com or follow her on X @Savmoss.
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Publish date : 2024-09-18 06:03:00
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