South Carolina Rep. Leon Howard (D-Richland County) invited many speakers to a rally against hate speech at the Statehouse steps in light of Uncensored America hosting a "roast" of Kamala Harris on the University of South Carolina's campus on Sept 18.
Speakers at the event said South Carolina's lack of a hate crime bill allowed space for Uncensored America to speak at the university, allowing it to potentially impact the state as a whole.
The event featured controversial figures Milo Yiannopoulos and Gavin McInnes. Uncensored America is a student organization “dedicated to fighting for freedom of speech,” according to the group’s Garnet Gate page.
McInnes founded the Proud Boys, an organization associated with right-wing extremism and designated a "terrorist entity" by Canada in 2021. Yiannopoulos is a far-right commentator and former editor at Breitbart News before resigning in 2017 over comments appearing to condone pedophilia, NPR reported.
Hamilton Grant, who is a Democratic nominee for District 79 and was one of the speakers at the rally, said allowing the speakers and their message onto campus reflects poorly on not only the university but the state as whole.
"I am a lifelong South Carolinian and very proud of some of the things that we have accomplished, to be quite honest with you today, today is a sad day here in the state of South Carolina," Grant said.
He said he believes this reflects badly on all the universities in the state and businesses seeking to do business in the state so he called the attendees to action.
"What are we going to do with this pivotal moment here in our state's history?" Grant said. "Well, I've got a solution for you and a call to action, everybody that is here. I am begging you, I am begging you. I'm not too proud to beg. We must make sure that all of our elected officials here in this building behind us pass a hate crime legislation."
He said that South Carolina being only one of two states left in the country to not have a hate crime legislation makes groups like the Proud Boys "feel welcome" in the state.
USC alumna Courtney McClain spoke about the university's responsibility of letting the speakers on campus. She said the university has failed to keep its students safe.
McClain said Uncensored America has another event scheduled for Oct. 14 in Russell House. The organization was listed to have the room booked out from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. that day in 25 Live, the university's system for reserving rooms in Russell House and other academic spaces.
The event is described as "a speech event on a relevant topic to promote positive conservation and start a destructive dialogue between students," according to the reservation system.
"The university has seen thousands of people sign the petition, they've seen your emails, they've seen your phone calls, they've talked to the donors, they've talked to the legislators and yet they're still allowing for these types of events to occur the university, the heart of the university, Russell House," McClain said.
She also said the university failed to implement a Student Government passed recommendation that would allow for additional security measures for the event.
The recommendations pushed the university to make students aware of the event via mass email, excuse absences from class, have metal detectors and security checks required for attendees and increase USCPD and CPD presence.
"With the university not signing this bill, I believe that that is showing that they are ignoring not only the student leaders, but the students that they are there to protect and that they are there to represent," McClain said.
As a former student, she said the event violates the Carolinian Creed. The Carolinian creed is the university's value statement. It encourages respect, concern for others and discourages bigotry.
"These students are afraid, and the university is doing nothing for them," McClain said. "We need to protect our students. We need to protect our student senators, and also all of the faculty and staff who have spoken out all of those, especially in the African American Studies Department, who have canceled class today for the safety of their students."
President of the South Carolina NAACP Columbia branch L. Oveta Glover challenged people to not pay attention to their event.
"Do not give them the pleasure of seeing your face," Glover said.
However, Rep. Ivory Thigpen, D-Richland, said it is important to speak out.
"In the end, we will not remember the words of those who seek to poke fun and defame and really disrespect the vice president," Thigpen said. "In the end, we will remember those who chose to speak out, those who chose to say, this is not acceptable."