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posted by Fnord666 on Thursday February 15 2018, @03:09PM   Printer-friendly
from the the-cost-of-free-speech dept.

From Cleveland.com:

CINCINNATI (AP) -- Kent State University, facing the threat of a lawsuit, reiterated on Friday that it cannot accommodate a request to allow white nationalist Richard Spencer to speak in early May as part of his campus tour.

The university, which is based in Kent but has regional campuses elsewhere in the state, said it had responded to attorney Kyle Bristow reaffirming its earlier response that no suitable space is available for Spencer to speak between April 30 and May 12.

Bristow had told Kent State it had until the end of business Friday to agree to rent space at an "acceptable date and time" or face a lawsuit. Several other schools, including Ohio State University and the University of Cincinnati, are in litigation over Spencer.

Tour organizer Cameron Padgett wanted Spencer to speak at Kent State on the May 4 anniversary of Ohio National Guard shootings that killed four students during anti-war protests in 1970. The university said early May is too busy with activities around the end of the academic year.

Bristow said last year that Spencer planned to speak March 14 on the University of Cincinnati campus, but the university said there was no contract in place, and the two sides are now in a legal standoff over the university's demand for a security fee of nearly $11,000.


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  • (Score: 2) by melikamp on Thursday February 15 2018, @07:49PM (5 children)

    by melikamp (1886) on Thursday February 15 2018, @07:49PM (#638403) Journal
    Kent State is a public institution.
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  • (Score: 0, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday February 15 2018, @08:19PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Thursday February 15 2018, @08:19PM (#638417)

    Look here mr. "what is hate speech anyway" nazi apologist, there is no reason anyone is guaranteed a speaking location at any school. You seem to be mixing up a pre-approved student group invited speaker with someone trying to force their own approval.

    If some students invite Spencer to speak and then he is barred due to his ideological content, THEN you can argue its a free speech violation by a public institution. By your logic I should be able to walk into a court room during a trial and start spouting off nonsense because hey, its a public building right?

  • (Score: 3, Insightful) by leftover on Thursday February 15 2018, @10:53PM (3 children)

    by leftover (2448) on Thursday February 15 2018, @10:53PM (#638498)

    IANAL but I believe that the grounds and facilities of the university are not 'public property' in the sense being used here. Note that Spencer is not trying to pull this off in the state capital building or in a state park. He is using the common misapprehension that a university is some sort of open soapbox.

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    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 16 2018, @12:04AM (2 children)

      by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 16 2018, @12:04AM (#638544)

      God forbid unpopular opinions be heard at a public university.

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 16 2018, @03:45AM (1 child)

        by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 16 2018, @03:45AM (#638644)

        It's a libertarian thing, isn't it? Yes, we have heard it all before. It is rubbish. You think either that we did not hear you the first time, or that by repeating your adolescent khallowian Ayn Rand positions repeatedly, we will somehow be convinced? No, we are not censuring you, we are just dismissing you. Much the same with neo-nazis, alt-righties, and Alex Jones. You're crazy. Get used to it.

        • (Score: 2) by jdavidb on Friday February 16 2018, @06:11PM

          by jdavidb (5690) on Friday February 16 2018, @06:11PM (#638916) Homepage Journal
          I don't think that's a libertarian thing. I'm a libertarian and I don't think people have a right to say whatever they want at a public funded university. If they did have such a right that would mean they are getting their right paid for at the expense of other people, who may not approve of what they are doing and saying.
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