White nationalist to sue two schools over speaking rights
CLEVELAND — White nationalist Richard Spencer has threatened to sue two Ohio universities, including Ohio State, if they refuse to rent campus space for him to speak.
Spencer’s associates contacted the University of Cincinnati and Ohio State University this month, asking to rent theaters and auditoriums for Spencer to speak. An attorney representing Spencer’s event organizers said Friday that he’ll challenge the schools in court if they don’t approve the requests.
“Either they host them, or they get sued,” said Kyle Bristow, founder of a law firm dedicated to legal advocacy on behalf of the so-called “alt-right,” a loose collection of white nationalists, white supremacists and anti-immigration populists.
Cameron Padgett, a Georgia State University student, contacted the University of Cincinnati on Tuesday asking to rent an auditorium that could accommodate 800 people for Spencer to speak there in late October. University spokesman Greg Vehr said Friday the school is reviewing the request and “assessing various safety and logistical considerations.”
The school’s Republican club issued a statement saying it has “zero interest” in hosting Spencer and does not condone his “hateful rhetoric.”
Padgett asked Ohio State University to host Spencer earlier this month after a previous request was denied. A university spokesman said the school is considering whether Spencer can be “accommodated without substantial risk to the safety of our students, faculty, staff and guests.”
Bristow said Padgett has discussed with Ohio State administrators about arranging a time for Spencer to speak there in December.
Spencer, a leading figure in the white nationalist movement, has advocated for an “ethno-state” that would be a “safe space” for white people. He helped organize the rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, in August that resulted in violence and the death of a woman protesting there.
The Charlottesville rally left universities across the United States bracing for more clashes between rightwing extremists and those who oppose them. It also left schools struggling to ensure campus safety in the face of recruiting efforts by white nationalist and neo-Nazi groups while balancing concerns over freedom of speech.
The Ohio universities are the most recent in a series of schools targeted by Spencer.
Spencer and his associates were denied a request to speak at Auburn University, prompting a federal lawsuit against that school. A judge ruled against Auburn, which then allowed Spencer to speak as planned.
In August, event organizers threatened to sue the University of Florida after the school denied Spencer’s request to hold an event. The school reversed course and Spencer is scheduled to speak there Oct. 19.
Bristow also sued Michigan State University earlier this month after it refused to rent him space.
Richard Cohen, director of the Southern Poverty Law Center, said suing is a tactic to draw attention from white nationalist beliefs by framing the debate about free speech instead.
“It allows them to become First Amendment martyrs,” Cohen said. “It’s dangerous.”