Richard Spencer calls off University of Cincinnati speaking engagement, blames security costs
Racist “alt-right” frontman Richard B. Spencer won’t be speaking to a campus devoid of students during spring break at the University of Cincinnati in March.
That’s because Spencer won’t be speaking on the campus at all, at least for a while.
Spencer’s lawyer, Kyle Bristow, tweeted and the university confirmed Monday that the planned March 14 event is off because of a dispute over security fees.
Bristow referred to the security fee as “the unconstitutional speech tax” and said it is “cost-prohibitive.”
University of Cincinnati President Neville G. Pinto said in a written statement that, because no contract has been signed between Cameron Padgett, the Georgia State student who serves as Spencer’s booking agent, and the school, the March 14 date is no longer possible.
The university’s Public Safety Department requires a minimum of six weeks to prepare for such an event, Pinto said. The now-cancelled date would have been during spring break, when few, if any, students would have been on campus.
Spencer, who has been holding ill-received speaking engagements at universities around the country, is next scheduled to speak at Michigan State University on March 5.
Padgett and Bristow have already sued the University of Cincinnati and have lawsuits pending against Ohio State University and Penn State University.
They’ve also threatened to sue Kent State University after that school rejected the idea of Spencer speaking on campus on May 4 — the 48th anniversary of four students being shot on campus by National Guard soldiers sent in by President Richard Nixon.
