Penn State police urge community to avoid event featuring Proud Boys founder
Penn State took another step Thursday to tamp down the fervor that’s come since the public announcement of an upcoming on-campus event featuring two far-right speakers, including the founder of the Proud Boys.
The university’s police department acknowledged in a written statement it was aware of a mass email from an unrecognized group. The email, police wrote, contains “inaccurate, false and potentially harmful information.”
The email — sent Thursday and addressed to all students, faculty and staff — reached nearly 2,000 words and invited people to protest Monday outside the Thomas Building, where the event will be held. It also included a false equivalence to Penn State’s decision to reject a 2017 event and claimed members of the Proud Boys “will be waiting to attack students and community members” in downtown State College.
Penn State police wrote they were not aware as of Thursday of any credible threats of violence.
The university has publicly criticized the event hosted by a recognized student organization, but added they cannot cancel the presentation because of free speech rights. Four First Amendment experts — who spoke to the Centre Daily Times last year for a nearly identical event — said the university was correct in its assertion.
“University Police and Public Safety strongly recommends that community members avoid the event, as non-engagement in these types of situations where the speakers attempt to create outrage is a proven method for tamping down the confrontations, as well as the attention these individuals crave,” police wrote.
Earlier this month, student group Uncensored America announced a show planned for 8 p.m. Monday in Penn State’s Thomas Building. The presentation is titled, “Stand Back & Stand By,” a nod to former President Donald Trump’s reaction when asked to condemn white supremacist groups during a presidential debate.
One speaker is self-proclaimed professional troll Alex Stein, whose podcast was banned from YouTube for violating hate speech guidelines. He once hosted a Holocaust denier and has described his video-streaming platform as “anti-gay, anti-woman, anti-Black, antisemitic.”
The other is Gavin McInnes, founder of the all-male Proud Boys, which is designated by the Southern Poverty Law Center as a hate group. The Proud Boys have rejected the label and describe themselves as “Western chauvinists who refuse to apologize for creating the modern world.”
Penn State offered students, faculty and staff two main options — ignoring the speakers and/or organizing counter-speech to oppose their message. The university planned an event set to overlap with the timing of Uncensored America’s.
“Together We Are” is scheduled for 6-10 p.m. Monday in the Alumni and Heritage halls at the HUB-Robeson Center. It is set to feature a number of activities and performances that promote belonging and community.
Penn State police will be on site as a precaution based on “the anticipated crowd size and the potential for other concerns around the event that may lead to disruption,” university spokeswoman Lisa Powers wrote in a statement.
”University Police plan for, and are prepared to take, every reasonable action to protect the safety of our campus. They will do so in this instance, too, and will respond appropriately as circumstances require,” Powers wrote. “University Police are engaged with external law enforcement partners in their planning for this event and, for security reasons, we cannot provide specific details on aspects of that safety plan.”
Anyone with information on specific threats to contact University Police and Public Safety by calling 814-863-1111 or dialing 911 in an emergency. State College police are prepared to assist if requested, Capt. Greg Brauser wrote in an email Wednesday.
“Many of the provocateurs who gain a platform for their denigrating rhetoric have their causes amplified by angry protests from those in our community who deplore their behavior and speech. These angry clashes only serve to advance the goals of these individuals and the vile ideas they represent,” university police wrote. “Provocateurs love nothing more than to fill a room with protesters and record it as content for their online platforms. As a community, we should not advance their purposes.”
CDT reporter Josh Moyer contributed to this report.
