Skip To Content
JEWISH. INDEPENDENT. NONPROFIT.
Fast Forward

‘Alt-Right’ White Nationalist Richard Spencer To Speak At Alabama University

“Alt-right” figurehead and white nationalist Richard Spencer plans to speak at Auburn University in Alabama next week.

In an online announcement, Spencer said that he will be speaking about President Trump, Syria and the “alt-right.”

“If this event is anything like my other ones, it is going to be wild. So, I hope to see you there,” Spencer said.

Auburn issued a statement Wednesday afternoon saying that while they “deplore his views,” the school supports the constitutional right to free speech, The administration encourages the school to respond to objectionable speech with “respect and inclusion.” Spencer is paying to use the space, said Auburn University spokesman Mike Clardy.

In December an event where Spencer was the main speaker led to raucous protests, from students who were angry that he was allowed to speak on campus. The protests even prompted a policy change that now requires future speakers to have on-campus sponsorship by “a recognized organization for external speakers,” CNN reported. That policy change came because university officials were “concerned about fringe and hate groups descending on campuses for the purpose of disruption.”

Email Sam Kestenbaum at [email protected]

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning journalism this Passover.

In this age of misinformation, our work is needed like never before. We report on the news that matters most to American Jews, driven by truth, not ideology.

At a time when newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall. That means for the first time in our 126-year history, Forward journalism is free to everyone, everywhere. With an ongoing war, rising antisemitism, and a flood of disinformation that may affect the upcoming election, we believe that free and open access to Jewish journalism is imperative.

Readers like you make it all possible. Right now, we’re in the middle of our Passover Pledge Drive and we need 500 people to step up and make a gift to sustain our trustworthy, independent journalism.

Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly. 

— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

Our Goal: 500 gifts during our Passover Pledge Drive!

Republish This Story

Please read before republishing

We’re happy to make this story available to republish for free, unless it originated with JTA, Haaretz or another publication (as indicated on the article) and as long as you follow our guidelines. You must credit the Forward, retain our pixel and preserve our canonical link in Google search.  See our full guidelines for more information, and this guide for detail about canonical URLs.

To republish, copy the HTML by clicking on the yellow button to the right; it includes our tracking pixel, all paragraph styles and hyperlinks, the author byline and credit to the Forward. It does not include images; to avoid copyright violations, you must add them manually, following our guidelines. Please email us at [email protected], subject line “republish,” with any questions or to let us know what stories you’re picking up.

We don't support Internet Explorer

Please use Chrome, Safari, Firefox, or Edge to view this site.