Richard Spencer May Speak At University Of Florida
Richard Spencer, the “alt-right” leader at the center of the weekend’s Charlottesville crisis, may speak on the University of Florida’s campus in September, thanks to rules that allow outside groups to hold events at the public college.
“For many in our community, including myself, this speaker’s presence would be deeply disturbing. What we’ve watched happen in Charlottesville … is deplorable,” wrote university president W. Kent Fuchs in a letter to students.
Kent added: “This organization is unaffiliated with the university, and no student groups or other groups affiliated with the university are sponsoring this speech.” The University of Florida, located in Gainesville, allows outside groups to use space on campus because taxpayer dollars fund the institution.
Spencer, who coined the term “alt-right” and envisions a white “ethnostate,” had initially wanted to hold a “White Lives Matter” rally on the campus of Texas A&M, but that move was nixed by campus administrators there.
He appeared at the Texas school in March, in a divisive and violent appearance that led the university to restrict the right of outside groups to use space on campus.
Contact Daniel J. Solomon at [email protected] or on Twitter @DanielJSolomon
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!