Hundreds Protest, While Steve Bannon Opts Out of Harvard Conference

CAMBRIDGE, MA — Although Steve Bannon, chief strategist for President-elect Donald Trump, cancelled plans to attend a Harvard University conference Wednesday, hundreds marched through the rainy Cambridge streets that night, protesting the university's decision to invite Bannon.

As of Monday, Bannon was on the confirmed guest list. A school spokesman told The Boston Globe Tuesday he would not be attending, but did not say why he had cancelled.

Bannon previously headed Breitbart News and has been tied to white nationalist and other widely condemned views espoused by the site. He was slated to attend the Harvard Kennedy School's Institute of Politics event Wednesday, along with former campaign manager Kellyanne Conway.

The protest proceeded despite Bannon's absence and despite a soaking rain.

Organizers on Facebook described the protest as being against Bannon and "Trump advisors," writing that Trump "brought racist ideologues into the mainstream" and that "Harvard is furthering the process of normalization for racist hate."

One organizer wrote on the protest event page Wednesday:

Shame on Harvard for even allowing this to take place. No platforms for fascists, racists, white supremacist, Islamophobes, misogynists, et. al oppressive politicians. Moreover, the normalization of this ultra right agenda by both Democrats and Republicans is disgusting and needs to be called for what it is, a farce of a democracy and the collusion of the ruling powers to accept a fascist ascendancy.

The suggested social media hashtag for protesters to rally around was "#HarvardSoFascist."

Conway remains part of the larger event whose confirmed participants include university staff, reporters and campaign leaders from numerous other Republican candidates' campaigns, as well as leaders from the Clinton-Kaine campaign.

She is slated to speak Thursday evening alongside former Clinton campaign manager Robby Mook. The segment is entitled "War Stories: Inside Campaign 2016."

Photo by Don Irvine, Flickr/Creative Commons