EAST LANSING (AP) — White nationalist leader Richard Spencer is expected to face protests from students at Michigan State University when he appears Monday during a campus tour that has been mired in litigation.
Spencer will speak from 4:30-6:30 p.m. in a ticketed event at the auditorium in the Pavilion for Agriculture and Livestock Education at MSU.
Spencer associate Cameron Padgett, who sued after MSU refused in August to rent space for the white nationalist leader, has agreed not to plan or organize any rally or similar event at MSU in connection with Spencer’s appearance, according to the terms of a federal court settlement.
In an email Friday to the campus community, interim MSU President John Engler said the event’s timing — during the school’s spring break — and remote location limit the risk of violence.
“Our staff found a way to keep safety as a top priority without abrogating First Amendment-protected speech, which in this case is plainly loathsome and in opposition to our values,” he said. “I want to assure everyone that MSU Police are taking all appropriate security measures.”
