International Socialist Organization, Portland State University

Summary

The International Socialist Organization (ISO) is a student group at Portland State University. On January 24, 2019, Portland State abruptly cancelled a meeting of that group after learning that the founder of Patriot Prayer, Joey Gibson, would be at the meeting to “ask questions.” Gibson posted on the Facebook event page that he would attend, and one student later commented, “Who wants to Fuck up Joey Gibson, leader of the fascist hate group patriot prayer? He’ll be here tonight.” Despite the ISO’s call for students not to engage with Patriot Prayer, the online exchange caught the attention of university leadership. Campus police unilaterally cancelled the event. On February 18, 2019, the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education sent a letter to the head of campus police at Portland State, arguing that the cancellation ISO’s event, “made against the wishes of the student organizers, contravenes the First Amendment and invites future threats to the expressive rights of PSU students.”