Richard Spencer gets approval to speak at Michigan State on March 5
A white nationalist and alt-right frontman will be allowed to speak at Michigan State University in March after the school and the racist settled a lawsuit over the on-campus appearance.
MSU and the attorney for Cameron Padgett reached an agreement on Thursday clearing the way for alt-right speaker Richard Spencer to hold an even on campus on March 5.
Spencer’s engagement, to be held in the Agriculture and Livestock Education facility, falls during spring break for the East Lansing, Michigan school.
In a video posted on Twitter, Padgett called the settlement a “huge, huge victory for the First Amendment.”
“It’s also a good day for Michigan State University, too,” Padgett said. “You can’t put a price tag on speech.”
Padgett’s attorney, Kyle Bristow, told the Detroit Free Press that the agreement, reached after a mediation session, protects the “fundamental right of Americans” to think and speak freely.
“This is a resounding First Amendment victory for the Alt-Right," said Bristow, who in the past has declined to answer question from the Southern Poverty Law Center. "Left-wing censorship of right-wing ideas in academia is unacceptable.”
“It just goes to show we don’t back down at all,” Padgett said.
Padgett, a Georgia State University, has served as Spencer’s booker at universities. Spencer’s efforts to speak on college campuses have sparked litigation across the country, with Padgett suing the University of Michigan, Auburn University, Penn State University and the University of Cincinnati.
Universities have expressed reservations about having Spencer on campus since the violent “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Virginia in August. That rally, which featured white supremacists marching with Tiki torches, resulted in 32-year-old Heather Heyer being killed.
James Alex Fields, 20, is charged with murder after police say he drove his car into a crowd of counter-protestors, striking Heyer and others.
Under the terms of the settlement, Padgett will pay a $1,650 rental fee for the auditorium by February 28. Padgett will obtain liability insurance coverage for the event and not plan or organize any other rally or similar event on campus in conjunction with Spencer’s appearance.
Michigan State will handle security for the event and pay $27,400 for Padgett’s attorney’s fees.
