Plans for ‘comedy roast’ of Harris at USC are raising eyebrows

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) - After news about a controversial event at the University of South Carolina gained national attention, several public figures have taken time to respond.

A campus student group called Uncensored America is planning to host a comedy roast of Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris on Sept. 18 at 7 p.m.

Uncensored America describes itself as a non-partisan organization dedicated to fighting for freedom of speech.

The group has d the event on social media, noting that Milo Yiannopoulos, a political commentator, and Gavin McInnes, the founder of the Proud Boys, are expected to speak at the event at Russell House Ballroom.

McInnes said the event “won’t exactly be like the classic roast you see in Comedy Central. We’re just going to make fun of what could be the worst president in American history.”

Various stakeholders including alumni and other student organizations have stated their opposition to the event.

The NAA has called on the university to cancel the roast saying, “if South Carolina University’s leadership values their Black students, it’s only right they shut this event down.”

A petition to get the event canceled says the university’s decision “directly contradicts with [the Carolina] Creed and encourages the use of racism, homophobia, and sexism by a student led organization on campus.”

Karine Jean-Pierre, the White House press secretary, was asked for the Biden-Harris istration’s response to the controversy during a press briefing on Sept. 4.

“I’m not going to dive into the event,” said Jean-Pierre. “I don’t know much about it. But...I think we are very much all proud to have the Vice President as our Vice President and the work that we have seen her do with this President for the past three and a half years.”

State Senator Tameika Isaac-Devine wrote a letter to the university urging them to cancel the roast and spoke on the decision during an interview with CNN.

“I am encouraging the university to have another event that brings together the diverse groups that are opposed to this event and bring more attention to that,” said Sen. Isaac-Devine. “We need to silence what’s happening at this roast. Allowing people to use the university platform for that is not good. But having another platform that encourages not only people to come and vote and , but to educate themselves and promote diversity is where we need to be going now.”

Sen. Isaac-Devine noted South Carolina is one of two states that does not have hate crime legislation and said during her interview she believes the controversy surrounding the roast could be “a long-term opportunity to promote diversity.”

The university responded to the public outcry by arguing it is within their students’ First Amendment rights to host the event, “even when we may be offended by their choices and statements,” according to a statement from University of South Carolina President Michael Amiridis.

“Censoring even the most hateful individuals and groups does not solve the problems we face in our society and instead provides them with a platform to win more publicity and , because their message was silenced,” the statement reads. “As Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis wrote almost a century ago in a vigorous defense of free speech, the solution to fighting offensive speech is ‘more speech, not enforced silence.’”

The statement added they were aware of “troubling and offensive things” the speakers have said in the past and respond by “denounc[ing] hate and bigotry” and “condemn[ing] the vile and juvenile rhetoric used to promote this event.”

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