Penn State Cancels Speech By Proud Boys Founder Gavin McInnes After Threats Of Violence

Threats of escalating violence caused Pennsylvania State University to cancel a speaking event Monday co-hosted by Proud Boys founder Gavin McInnes.

University administration previously denounced the event that was sponsored by a recognized student organization, Uncensored America, and was planned to feature McInnes and Alex Stein a comedian and BlazeTV contributor.

University officials decided to allow the “politically provocative comedy night” to take place in the interest of free speech.

“We must continue to uphold the right to free speech — even speech we find abhorrent — because Penn State fully supports the fundamental right of free speech,” the University said. “These two speakers and others like them are provocateurs, who intentionally use derogatory and hateful language to stir passions and widen divisions among us.”

Uncensored America was founded in 2020 by Trump field organizer Sean Semanko while he was attending Penn State University. The organization’s mission is to fight for free speech so that “American culture can be fun and free again.”

The organization has previously hosted events at Penn State. In November 2021, the group hosted an event titled “Pray the Gay Away” with British commentator and alt-right activist Milo Yiannopoulos.

University Officials similarly denounced that event but allowed it to take place saying, “Uncensored America has the undeniable Constitutional right to sponsor this presentation on our campus. The University lacks the right to do anything to stop it.”

In objection to this year’s event, Students organized “alternative events” to “register their disapproval of these speakers, and their disavowal of their hateful messages.”

When one of the protests became violent, University Officials decided to cancel the event.

University President Neeli Bendapudi said in a statement, “It is my understanding that Alex Stein (co-host with Proud Boys founder Gavin McInnes) entered the peaceful protest and this action raised the tension.”

Bendapudi said it was unclear which individuals turned to physical confrontation, but pepper-spray was ultimately used on members of the crowd as well as police officers. Nobody was injured.

Despite calling the event host’s “vitriolic and hateful” and expressing support for student protestors, Bendapundi was disappointed with how the evening unfolded.

“Tonight, the message too many people will walk away with is that one can manipulate people to generate free publicity, or that one can restrict speech by escalating protest to violence,” Bundapudi said. “These are not ideas that we can endorse as an institution of higher education.”