COLUMBIA, SC (WIS) – A controversial comedy roast hosted by a University of South Carolina student organization is scheduled to go ahead as planned Wednesday night.

The organization Uncensored America will host a comedy show about Democratic presidential candidate and Vice President Kamala Harris.

Uncensored America describes itself as a nonpartisan organization dedicated to fighting for free speech.

The controversy surrounding the roast, which features right-wing commentators Milo Yiannapoulos and Gavin McInnes as speakers, began with social media ads that made the rounds on campus.

Uncensored America and its supporters argue that the event is a legal and valid exercise of the group’s rights under the First Amendment. Opponents of the roast, however, argue that the university should not provide a platform for the event’s hateful rhetoric and provocative speakers.

As tensions have increased locally surrounding the Roast, various law enforcement agencies have announced that they will be present at the Roast to maintain order.

The Richland County Sheriff’s Department (RCSD) said its Special Response Team will be on duty during the roast.

The Columbia Police Department (CPD) and the University of South Carolina Police Department (USCPD) have also announced that they will increase their presence at the event.

Rally before the roast

Rep. Leon Howard (D-Richland) announced he will lead a rally Wednesday afternoon in partnership with voter access organization Carolina for All.

“It is unacceptable for a public institution like USC to provide a platform for hateful ideologies,” Howard said in a press release. “This event does not reflect the values ​​of inclusion and respect that we should uphold as a society.”

Other officials, including State Rep. Ivory Thigpen (D-Richland), State Rep. Jermaine Johnson (D-Richland), Courtney McClain of the NAACP and officials from the National Action Network also attended Howard’s rally.

The rallies began at 4 p.m. on the north steps of the South Carolina State House.

“Hate speech leads to hateful acts,” Thigpen said during the rally. “And that history of hate is not so long and so far back that we don’t need to protect it and fight it and fight for what is right.”

“Today is a sad day here in the state of South Carolina,” said Hamilton Grant, Democratic candidate for the 79th Congressional District of the South Carolina House of Representatives. “It is a sad day when white supremacists are welcomed with open arms and open space here in our area and on our campus at the University of South Carolina.”

Grant also pushed for the passage of hate crimes legislation in the Palmetto State.

“You stand up to this racism, you call it out, you condemn it,” Johnson said. “If you allow hatred to grow and fester, it will spread. And we will not allow that to happen here in this state.”

You can watch a full live stream of the 4 p.m. rally at the State House below:

Uncensored America announces lawsuit

During a 1 p.m. press conference at USC’s Russell House Theater, Uncensored America founder Sean Semanko announced that the event will go ahead as planned and that they intend to sue USC and other entities that allegedly violated the group’s First Amendment rights, as there have been numerous recent attempts to stop the event.

“You can threaten us, you can slander us, you can deprive us of resources,” Semanko said. “But you cannot prevent this event… There is nothing you can do to stop us.”

This came after USC’s student union rejected funding for the roast last week.

The student organization’s request for $3,576.99 included $1,500 for guest speakers – including Proud Boys founder Gavin McInnes, $803 for decorations, $647 for camera rentals, $126.99 for promotional flyers and $500 for USCPD security.

“To protect – I think – both the university and the student government, we have a kind of policy: ‘We’re not going to take your political views into account in this.’ We don’t have to take sides. If you don’t get money, it’s because you did something fundamentally wrong. You violated our rules, our policies or our codes. You followed our rules and I think ultimately there weren’t a lot of legitimate reasons to deny them the money,” said Student Senator Camden Kaye.

Background to the event

Political commentator Milo Yiannopoulos and Gavin McInnes, founder of the Proud Boys, are expected to speak at the event in the Russell House Ballroom.

A petition calling for the event to be canceled said the university’s decision “is in direct contradiction to the Carolina Creed and promotes racism, homophobia and sexism through a student-led organization on campus.”

Semanko said during the press conference that the petition had been signed by 26,784 people. He also said that the president of the NAACP had asked USC President Michael Amiridis to cancel the event.

On the other hand, Governor Henry McMaster said the university had no right to cancel the appointment.

“Unless there is a real threat, unless there is a real danger involved, which you probably won’t know until the event has started, the university has no right to cancel the event,” McMaster told WIS News 10.

WIS News 10 contacted the university when the event was announced. USC administration stated that the event had nothing to do with the university, even though it would be held on campus.

“The university has a long tradition of allowing registered student organizations to bring speakers to campus. We do not control the speakers. That is the right of the students. We do not support the speakers,” said President Amiridis.

McInnes said in an exclusive interview with WIS News 10 that the event will “not be exactly like the classic roast you see on Comedy Central. We’re just going to make fun of perhaps the worst president in American history.”

The event will take place on Wednesday at 8 p.m.

You can watch a live stream of Uncensored America’s conference below.

This story is developing. Check back here for updates.

Feel more informed, prepared and connected with WIS. For more free content like this, subscribe to our Email newsletterAnd Download our apps. Do you have feedback that can help us improve? Click here.

Copyright 2024 WIS. All rights reserved.