Kent State denies white nationalist Richard Spencer's request

By Matthew MerchantReporter

Kent State University has officially denied a request to have white nationalist leader Richard Spencer and his associates speak on campus on May 4.

The university told Cameron Padgett, who has been booking Spencer for speaking events on college campuses across the U.S., that they were "unable to accommodate his request."

"The weeks of April 30 – May 12 are always an exceptionally busy time on our campus, with numerous activities marking the end of our academic year. Kent State values respectful dialogue from all points of view, including ideology that is controversial or offensive. Consistent with our core values, we encourage open dialogue, freedom of expression and respectful discourse in an inclusive environment," the university said in a statement.

On Wednesday, Kyle Bristow, the executive director of the Foundation for the Marketplace of Ideas, an alt-right affiliated organization, tweeted that Padgett had requested to reserve the Student Multicultural Center in the KSU Student Center on May 4.

Bristow’s tweet said the he intended to speak at KSU on May 4 and would invite Spencer and Mike Enoch, a pseudonym for Mike Peinovich, another white nationalist and host of the podcast "The Right Stuff," and "The Daily Shoah."

According to the tweet, the topic of discussion for the trio would be "to talk about Antifa thuggery (and) how universities can respond," referring to the tactics of extreme anti-fascist supporters.

KSU has not yet released the name of the keynote speaker for the May 4 commemorative ceremony, which honors the four people who died on May 4, 1970 after members of the Ohio National Guard opened fire on the campus.

Last year’s May 4 keynote speaker was Lecia Brooks of the Southern Poverty Law Center, an organization that identifies Spencer, Enoch and Bristow as white nationalists, and Spencer as a member of the alt-right.

Allegedly, Padgett, Spencer and Peinovich would speak at "the publicly available Student Multicultural Center." The SMC is a space on the second floor of the Student Center that can accomodate 200 people for a $175 rental cost, according to the University Events and Conference services website.

According to reporting done by Kentwired, the student media website at KSU, Bristow, who is also Padgett’s attorney, has threatened to sue the University of Michigan if they did not let Spencer speak. He recently sued the University of Cincinnati after it sought an $11,000 security fee.

Recently, The Ohio State University joined six other college campuses when it denied a request for Spencer to speak.