Florida: Spencer's white nationalist event to cost taxpayers
Source: Associated Press
Updated 5:04 pm, Thursday, January 25, 2018
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) Officials in a Florida city say a speaking event featuring white nationalist Richard Spencer at the University of Florida last fall will cost taxpayers at least $224,000.
The Gainesville Sun reports Gainesville city commissioners decided Thursday not to send the university a bill for costs. Alachua County officials sent the university a $302,000 bill earlier this month for its costs connected to the event.
The university previously estimated it would spend $600,000 on security at the October event to ensure no repeat of violent clashes connected to a white nationalist gathering in Charlottesville, Virginia, that left one dead in August.
Thousands of protesters ended up drowning out Spencer with chanting, and he ended his Florida speech early.
Read more: http://www.chron.com/news/education/article/Florida-Spencer-s-white-nationalist-event-to-12526126.php
cp
(6,655 posts)and Summit Publishers.
Jim Lane
(11,175 posts)In this instance, that would, unfortunately, be the people whose views I share. I agree with them that Spencer's views are hateful, but I oppose the attempted suppression of his hateful speech.
People who disagree with a speaker shouldn't be able to silence him by shouting him down. They also shouldn't be able to silence him by threatening violence so that a public university prohibits the speech because of the cost of providing security. That would be a "heckler's veto" and would violate the First Amendment.
YOHABLO
(7,358 posts)Initech
(100,102 posts)Downtown Hound
(12,618 posts)Get it through your head, idiot alt right trolls. Free speech does not guarantee you the right to speak at a university campus.
former9thward
(32,077 posts)At a public university where other viewpoints are allowed.
Downtown Hound
(12,618 posts)Why don't we have serial killers come and speak or those in favor of murder? How about child molestation? Or how about religious zealots that want to legally be able to shackle their children to beds? Or those who want to bring slavery back?
Free speech does not mean an institution of higher learning has to accommodate every viewpoint out there, and to suggest it does is complete crap. They are allowed to set standards as to what topics can and will be discussed. And there is no law, rule, or anything else that says they have to accommodate racists. And I think liberals who say they do in the name of free speech do way more harm to the cause of equality than the racists themselves do. It gives the bigots a cover of victimhood when they are denied and also legitimizes them and makes them the champions of free speech when all they really are are a bunch of whiners throwing their white privilege around by acting like they are entitled to everybody accommodating their bigotry.
Stop helping them. You are doing nobody any favors except the fascists.
former9thward
(32,077 posts)You? You gets to decide who is a racist? You? I read no end of posts which say Republicans are racist. So does that mean no Republicans should be allowed to speak on any campus? What other parties should be excluded? Bullshit back at you...
Downtown Hound
(12,618 posts)Given that he openly admits to it every chance he gets.
People like you are why Heather Heyer died. If it hadn't been for the ACLU standing up for Nazi's free speech rights, that whole march in Charlottesville would not have happened. But hey, at least you can feel good about yourself knowing that you're a true champion of free speech, right? Too bad she had to pay the price for your self righteousness.
former9thward
(32,077 posts)Which is why they had to add a First amendment.
Downtown Hound
(12,618 posts)Which is all Richard Spencer and his ilk promote. You think it's any accident that violence and terrorism follow him wherever he goes?
Do you want us to give Al Qeada a platform as well? And if not, why do you hate free speech?
By the way, every fascist from the dawn of time has known there are people like you around, willing to help their agenda in the name of "fairness," and ultimately, too naive to see what they're really doing.
Go back and study any fascist movement in history, and not too far behind you will find useful idiots helping them on their totalitarian journey out of "fairness."
I'll take Antifa over latte sipping bookworms that fancy themselves guardians of free speech any day of the week. At least they fight racism and fascism instead of helping it. You could learn from them.
appalachiablue
(41,171 posts)Kent Wired, 'Richard Spencer Responds to Kent State: Youre Gonna Lose, Jan. 23, 2018
White nationalist Richard Spencer is ready for a fight with Kent State Universitya legal one, at least. Spencer is taking legal action against Kent State, as he has with countless other universities who have refused him space to speak. After KSU rejected a request from his booker to hold a speaking event on May 4, the 48th anniversary of the on-campus shootings of four students by National Guardsmen, Spencer said a lawsuit might very well be the next step..
Spencer believes the university blocked the speech because it is afraid of violent protests by Antifa.. Kent State is not claiming that I am going to engage in violence or that I will do anything other than give a speech like any other guest would give a speech, Spencer said. What theyre worried about is Antifa violence. Spencer claims Kent States actions are unconstitutional, and if his legal team takes the university to court, like it has other universities, it will lose.
If they want to challenge me, its like, OK, fine, youre gonna lose, Spencer said.
I have absolute confidence because what we are doing is 100 percent above board....After suing MSU for denying him a space to speak, he and the university reached a settlement Thursday allowing him to speak at a campus auditorium March 5. If they want to challenge me, Spencer scoffs at Kent State, good luck...
Spencer has a clear agenda for a speech at Kent State if the university allows him. The white nationalist said he would focus on how white people are being dispossessed at universities demographically, morally, and intellectually. Spencer especially disagrees with affirmative action at colleges the practice of giving minority applicants special consideration to counteract discrimination. Through affirmative action, whites are being pushed out, Spencer claimed. Effectively, if youre a non-white applicant, you have a tremendous advantage. Spencer said affirmative action is part of a larger plan to making universities seats of diversity, which effectively means less white people.
Spencer also said he would discuss the Kent State shootings if he were to speak on May 4. If Im there on such a symbolic day, I obviously would not let that moment past without discussing it, Spencer said. Spencer said he draws some interesting parallels between the anti-establishment protesters during the Kent State shootings and white people renouncing the establishment currently. There are some interesting similarities in the sense of this rising movement of white identityeffectively, identitarianismand the 60's radicals. We are fighting the system....
According to the policy, Kent State has the right to cancel an outside speakers event if it violates criminal law, substantially invades the rights of others (including threatening health or safety) or disrupts the normal activities of the university...
More, http://www.kentwired.com/latest_updates/article_f6482224-0090-11e8-bcb2-4ba014a52d11.html