TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) - The Latest on white nationalist Richard Spencer’s campus speeches (all times local):
5:10 p.m.
Kent State University is denying a request to allow white nationalist Richard Spencer to speak on campus this spring on the day marking the anniversary of the Ohio National Guard shootings.
Spencer’s campus tour organizer asked for space for a speech on May 4.
That’s the date nearly 48 years ago when national guardsmen fired into a crowd protesting the Vietnam War, killing four students.
But the university in northern Ohio says in a statement released Thursday that the first two weeks of May are a busy time on campus because it’s the end of the academic year.
The statement says Kent State values respectful dialogue from all points of view, including those that are controversial or offensive.
Several other schools have rejected Spencer’s requests to speak on campus.
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1:55 p.m.
Michigan State University has agreed to allow white nationalist Richard Spencer to speak on campus during spring break.
The deal signed Thursday says Spencer can appear on March 5. But he’ll be at the livestock pavilion auditorium, away from the heart of campus.
Spencer ally Cameron Padgett must pay $1,650 and come up with at least $2 million in liability insurance. Michigan State will arrange for police.
The deal settles a lawsuit filed after Michigan State last summer cited public safety and refused to rent space. Padgett said the school was violating free speech rights.
Spencer popularized the term “alt-right” to refer to a fringe movement that’s a mix of white nationalist, white supremacist, anti-Semitic and anti-immigration beliefs.
Under the deal, Michigan State is paying $27,000 for Padgett’s legal fees.
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10 a.m.
White nationalist Richard Spencer’s campus tour organizer is asking for space for a speech at Kent State University this spring on the anniversary of the Ohio National Guard shootings.
A university spokesman confirmed Thursday that organizer Cameron Padgett wants to rent space at Kent State’s Student Multicultural Center on May 4.
That’s the date nearly 48 years ago when national guardsmen fired into a crowd protesting the Vietnam war and killed four students.
Kent State is reviewing the request.
Spencer is a leading figure in the white nationalist movement. Several other schools have rejected his requests to speak on campus.
His campus tour organizer already is suing the University of Cincinnati’s president because he says the school won’t rent space for Spencer to speak unless a security fee is paid.
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