Students at the University of South Carolina are calling on their school to cancel a scheduled “roast” of Kamala Harris, an event they believe “encourages racism, homophobia, and sexism” on campus, especially as one of the speakers is the founder of the far-right Proud Boys.
The graphic posters advertising it refer to the vice-president and Democratic presidential nominee with a crude sexual insult, and although organizers present it as a “comedy”, many view it as a subterfuge for spreading hateful and violent rhetoric. An online student petition condemning the event has received over 26,000 signatures.
The event will be hosted by Gavin McInnes, the founder of the Proud Boys, and is scheduled for 18 September on university grounds in downtown Columbia.
“When I initially learned of this, I was relatively unbothered, then I realized who the guest speakers were,” said Nick Stewart, a sophomore studying media arts at the university.
“As someone who normally has a lot of school pride, this ordeal has made me feel ashamed of being a student at USC.”
The roast was organized by the South Carolina chapter of Uncensored America, a nonpartisan organization fighting for freedom of speech. Uncensored America has a presence at several universities across the US and hosts “honest and fun conversations with controversial figures to fight censorship and cancel culture”.
McInnes will be joined on stage by Milo Yiannopoulos, an extremist rightwing media personality also known for espousing misogynistic, racist, and transphobic ideologies.
University events are by no means new for Yiannopoulos, who told a crowd at the University of Massachusetts in 2016 that “feminism is cancer” and advertised a similar speech at Penn State University with posters reading slogans such as “Pray the gay away”.
McInnes is known for his affiliation with the alt-right group the Proud Boys, which he founded in 2016. Often violent, they have been labeled a terrorist organization by New Zealand and Canada since he left. Many members align with white supremacist, antisemitic or Islamophobic ideologies. Their leader, Enrique Tarrio, is currently serving a 22-year sentence for seditious conspiracy and other convictions following the January 6 attack on the Capitol. The Proud Boys are all-male and known for inciting political violence at events.
Stewart, who identifies as bisexual, has decided to remain away from university for the entirety of Wednesday. “I feel specifically uncomfortable and unsafe having these men on my campus, a place where I normally feel comfortable in expressing myself,” he said. “As much as I would love to join in the student protests, I need to do this for the sake of my mental health and safety.”
Sentiments of fear, indignation and disbelief are being shared too, by other students – some who have organized alternative events or protests, and some, like Stewart, who are removing themselves entirely out of fears for their security.
“Many students are frustrated and appalled by the university’s handling of the upcoming ‘roast’ event on campus,” a representative from Uphold The Creed, said.
Uphold The Creed is a student-run initiative that aims to raise awareness of students’ feelings towards the university’s disregard of the values outlined in the Carolinian Creed. The group created an Instagram page in the lead up to the roast, and has posted about a peaceful demonstration that will be going ahead, as well as calling on the university to address student concerns and increase safety on campus if the event goes ahead.
Student discontent with the roast has been acknowledged and mirrored at a wider level across the state, and even the country.
State congressman Leon Howard is leading a rally at the South Carolina statehouse on the same day as the event in response to its controversy.
The NAACP has also joined students in putting pressure on the university to call it off. The organization wrote a letter to the USC president Michael Amiridis, stating that while it is usually non-partisan, it felt “compelled to write this letter because of the blatant sexist and racist nature of the event, the advertising of it, and the potential for violence because of the proposed event”.
The organization added: “Put simply, inviting to USC the founder of a terrorist group, which has a history of violence, and a speaker, whose presence results in violence and property damage, would present a clear and immediate danger to the student body, campus personnel, and visitors.”
