Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
UF may host white supremacy figure
Richard Spencer, a leader in the white nationalist movement, may speak Sept. 12 at the University of Florida, according to an announcement by the school’s president, Kent Fuchs.
Spencer attended this weekend’s rally in Charlottesville, Va., that spiraled into violence and then tragedy when a woman died after a man drove a car into a group of people who were protesting the gathering of white supremacists.
University officials met Monday with the Gainesville Police Department, campus police and other law enforcement in preparation for Spencer’s potential appearance.
But University of Florida spokeswoman Janine Sikes stressed that the event has not been finalized.
“This is a tentative event at this point,” Sikes told The News Service of Florida. “Nothing has been signed. This is not a go yet.”
Like other speakers, Spencer would have to pay for the rental of the space as well as security costs, which had not been determined as of Monday, according to Sikes.
The university’s ability to restrict controversial figures such as Spencer from appearing on campus is limited, even in the aftermath of the situation in Charlottesville, according to First Amendment lawyers.
Because UF officials have made the space available to others, they aren’t able to put it off-limits to more controversial speakers, said Frank LoMonte, director of the University of Florida Brechner Center, a think tank focused on media-related issues.
“Once you hold the availability of government property for speech, you can’t pick and choose the speakers you like,” LoMonte said in a telephone interview Monday.
If UF officials wanted to blackball Spencer, they’d also have to shut down the venue for other speakers, according to the experts.
“It’s very easy to say these are white supremacists, and we should stop them from speaking. But the First Amendment protects the most unpopular viewpoints that are being expressed. So you have to look at all the alternatives that are available … before you can, consistent with the First Amendment, stop that viewpoint from being expressed,” Julin said. “That’s the last thing you want to do.”
In the meantime, state, local and federal law- officials are preparing for the potential event, especially in light of the developments in Virginia.
“GPD is aware of a possible appearance by white nationalist Richard Spencer at UF on Sept. 12. We are also aware of information online through multiple forums and blogs surrounding the event,” the Gainesville Police Department said in a Facebook post. “We will continue to closely monitor the planning of this event and any peripheral protests/ counter protests that are expected to arise if Mr. Spencer does appear.”