Richard Spencer calls off University of Cincinnati speaking engagement, blames security costs
鈥�Racist 鈥渁lt-right鈥� frontman Richard B. Spencer听won鈥檛 be speaking to a campus devoid of students during spring break at the University of Cincinnati in March.
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That鈥檚 because Spencer won鈥檛 be speaking on the campus at all, at least for a while.
Spencer鈥檚 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 鈥渢he unconstitutional speech tax鈥� and said it is 鈥渃ost-prohibitive.鈥�
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鈥檚 booking agent, and the school, the March 14 date is no longer possible.
The听university鈥檚 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鈥檝e also threatened to sue Kent State University after that school rejected the idea of Spencer speaking on campus on May 4 鈥� by National Guard soldiers sent in by President Richard Nixon.
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