Hundreds of Penn State students protesting a speaking event with Proud Boys founder Gavin McInnes on Monday night were showered with pepper spray by men who appeared to be with the hate group. Penn State, which abruptly called off the talk on Monday, had resisted earlier calls from students, faculty and community members to cancel the event, citing free speech rights.
Penn State University canceled a speaking event Monday night with Gavin McInnes, founder of the far-right Proud Boys, citing the, quote, “threat of escalating violence.” Indeed, the Proud Boys have a history of violence and are under an active federal investigation for their role in the January 6th attack on the Capitol. But for weeks Penn State had cited free speech rights when it resisted calls from students, faculty and community members to cancel the event, sponsored by the student group Uncensored America, which encourages, quote, “young Americans to fight for free speech in order to make American culture free and fun again,” unquote.
Alex Stein, who the group describes as a comedian, was set to host the event. His show is called Stand Back and Stand By, a reference to Trump’s comment to the Proud Boys during
— source democracynow.org | Oct 26, 2022
