Michigan State Sued After Rejecting White Nationalist Group

DETROIT (AP) — A lawsuit has been filed against Michigan State University after it denied a request to rent space on campus for white nationalist Richard Spencer to speak in September.

Georgia State University student Cameron Padgett, who tried to rent the room, sued Sunday alleging the university is violating Spencer's free speech.

The East Lansing school has said in a statement the decision was made "due to significant concerns about public safety" and cited the "tragic violence" in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Spencer said in a text message to the Associated Press Sunday that, "Cameron Padgett is a brave young man who has my full support."

Spencer was scheduled to speak at a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville that ended in violence.

A woman was killed after a car drove into counterprotesters.

© Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Read more
f

We and our partners use cookies to understand how you use our site, improve your experience and serve you personalized content and advertising. Read about how we use cookies in our cookie policy and how you can control them by clicking Manage Settings. By continuing to use this site, you accept these cookies.