Conservative author Dinesh D'Souza will be guest of honor at North Huntingdon event

Conservative best-selling author, filmmaker and provocateur Dinesh D’Souza will be in North Huntingdon this week as the guest of honor at a dinner hosted by the 1776 Freedom’s Calling Committee, a Smithton-based political action group.

Tickets for Thursday’s event at Antonelli Event Center start at $200.

D’Souza, 58, has been the subject of several national controversies over the past few years.

Last month, he was criticized for a tweet in which he compared 16-year-old Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg to Nazi propaganda.

“Children — notably Nordic white girls with braids and red cheeks — were often used in Nazi propaganda. An old Goebbels technique!” read a Twitter message he posted above a photo of Thunberg. “Looks like today’s progressive Left is still learning its game from an earlier Left in the 1930s.”

Children—notably Nordic white girls with braids and red cheeks—were often used in Nazi propaganda. An old Goebbels technique! Looks like today’s progressive Left is still learning its game from an earlier Left in the 1930s pic.twitter.com/E4q2KZ526s

— Dinesh D'Souza (@DineshDSouza) September 22, 2019

At a U.N. climate summit in New York City last month, Thunberg criticized world leaders for not doing enough to combat climate issues in her now-famous “How dare you?” speech. She also testified before Congress.

In a statement to the Tribune-Review, D’Souza said he made a fair comparison.

“I compared the way the Nazis used Nordic white children in their propaganda to how the Left is using this Nordic white child in its propaganda,” he said. “It’s a valid comparison involving emotional manipulation in both cases, and the outrage about it is feigned and bogus.”

President Trump last year pardoned D’Souza of a 2014 conviction in which he pleaded guilty to making an illegal campaign contribution to the failed U.S. Senate campaign of Wendy Long, a Republican attorney from New York.

D’Souza, a native of India, has written books criticizing Democrats and liberals, including “The Big Lie: Exposing the Nazi Roots of the American Left.”

His most recent documentary — “Death of a Nation: Can We Save America a Second Time?” — compares Trump to Abraham Lincoln while condemning Democrats’ criticism of the president.

1776 Freedom’s Calling was created to “reverse America’s collapse,” according to its website. It bills itself as a non-partisan organization. Many of its core values align it with the priorities of the American right, including limited government, strict immigration enforcement and low taxes.

Geologist, author and climate-change skeptic Gregory Wrightstone, of McCandless, is scheduled to emcee Thursday’s event.

According to information provided by 1776 Freedom’s Calling, D’Souza is expected to discuss “free market (capitalism) versus socialism, and the contrast and historical facts as to how both may impact America’s future and families.”

In addition to $200 general admission tickets, sponsor packages are available for $500 t0 $2,500. A 6:15 p.m. VIP reception will be followed by dinner. Tickets can be purchased through the 1776 Freedom’s Calling website.

Antonelli Event Center is at 100 Colony Drive, North Huntingdon.