The University of Florida denied Richard Spencer’s request to occupy event space on Sept. 12, a speech that would have taken place shortly after the white nationalist was scheduled to speak at Texas A&M University. Like Texas A&M, UF cited organizers’ rhetorical…
The University of Florida denied Richard Spencer’s request to occupy event space on Sept. 12, a speech that would have taken place shortly after the white nationalist was scheduled to speak at Texas A&M University.
Like Texas A&M, UF cited organizers’ rhetorical links between deadly violence in Charlottesville, Va., and the upcoming events on its campus from organizers as cause for safety concerns on campus.
“The First Amendment does not require a public institution to risk imminent violence to students and others, ” president W. Kent Fuchs said in a statement Wednesday.
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Will Creeley, senior vice president for legal and public advocacy at the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, called the “Today Charlottesville, Tomorrow Texas A&M” language in the release protected speech. A specific threat should be required to cancel an event, he said.
Creeley said transparency is key from university law enforcement in these situations.
“Canceling speech because of safety concerns is powerful medicine and should be as transparently deployed as possible, ” he said.
A priority for universities, however, is to allow for normal operations like class to proceed, he said. Disruption through protests or unexpected crowds on campus could limit that ability.
“Keeping roads and sidewalks free for vehicular and pedestrian traffic, maintaining public safety, and keeping the university open and operating for students, faculty, and staff are significant governmental interests, ” Creeley wrote in an email, adding that campus speech regulations must serve those interests.
Announcements of Spencer’s speeches at Texas A&M and UF came amid a weekend of violence in Charlottesville.
Fuchs had previously alerted students and faculty that Spencer planned to speak. In a letter, Fuchs explained why he would be allowed to speak and urged members of the campus community to ignore the event.
“These types of groups want media attention, ” he wrote. “I encourage our campus community to send a message of unity by not engaging with this group and giving them more media attention for their message of intolerance and hate.”
