Univ. of Florida To Students: ‘Shun’ White Nationalist Event

News Talk Florida

7 years ago

Univ. Of Florida To Students: ‘Shun’ White Nationalist Event

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — The University of Florida’s president is urging students to stay away from a speaking event on campus featuring white nationalist Richard Spencer.

President Kent Fuchs wrote in an email Tuesday that Spencer and his group seek only “to provoke a reaction” at their Oct. 19 event. Fuchs says “shunning” Spencer would limit any further attention.

In this Dec. 6, 2016 file photo, Richard Spence speaks at the Texas A&M University campus in College Station, Texas. An attorney for associates of white nationalist leader Spencer says he’ll sue Ohio State University and the University of Cincinnati if they don’t agree by Friday, Oct. 13, 2017 to make campus space available for him to speak. A Georgia college student contacted both schools recently about renting space in the latest effort to have Spencer speak on college campuses. Photo: AP Photo/David J. Phillip, File.

Fuchs also asked students to speak out against Spencer’s message of “hate and racism.”

UF says it expects to spend $500,000 on security for the event, including costs of police.

The university stated it will not be affiliated with the event in any way, but as a public institution, it is legally obligated to allow the expression of many viewpoints by external groups, such as Spencer’s National Policy Institute.