GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) - The University of Florida says it has set Oct. 19 as a tentative date for a speaking event featuring white nationalist Richard Spencer.
UF released a statement Thursday saying school officials would begin their regular protocols for evaluating the risks and associated costs.
The statement points out that the university will not be affiliated with the event in any way, but as a public institution, UF is legally obligated to allow the expression of many viewpoints by external groups, such as Spencer’s National Policy Institute.
The university last month denied the group’s request to hold an event on Sept. 12, citing recent violence at a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. UF President W. Kent Fuchs said at the time that the First Amendment doesn’t require risking imminent violence to students.
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