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MSU sued for denying white national group's request to speak

Flouncy Magoo

Flouncy Magoo

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GRAND RAPIDS - Michigan State University was sued Sunday in federal court over its decision last month to deny a white nationalist group's request to speak on campus.

The lawsuit was filed by attorney Kyle Bristow on behalf of Cameron Padgett and says the university violated the First and Fourteenth amendments.

In the lawsuit, Bristow says his client — a Georgia State University student — attempted to rent a conference room at MSU's Kellogg Hotel & Conference Center so Richard Spencer, a prominent white nationalist and president and director of the The National Policy Institute, could speak about his "Alt-Right philosophy."

MSU denied the request. In a statement explaining the decision, MSU President Lou Anna Simon said it "was made due to significant concerns about public safety in the wake of the tragic violence in Charlottesville."

She added that while she and the university "remain firm in our commitment to freedom of expression, our first obligation is to the safety and security of our students and our community."

Michigan State sued after denying request for white nationalist group to speak on campus


"We want to use government to force you to allow us to tell you why government shouldn't be allowed to force you to associate with us"
-Alt right

Should Nazi terrorists like Richard Spencer be allowed to recruit more Nazi terrorists? Should we allow ISIS to send speakers here to recruit more terrorists for their wars? They have a right to speak, too, right?
 

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I despise fascists from left wing to right wing, and Spencer is Numero Uno on my despise list.

However, . . . he should be allowed to speak, the U should proved LEO, and the local and regional LEO should be out in force to beat the heads of all from right to left who want to riot.
 
I would say that the University has the privilege of accepting or denying any group the privilege to speak on campus. It is no different than a city requiring a permit to protest. Do they have a right to speak? Yes. Do they have a right to speak wherever they wish? No.
 
JamesBY said:
I despise fascists from left wing to right wing, and Spencer is Numero Uno on my despise list.

However, . . . he should be allowed to speak, the U should proved LEO, and the local and regional LEO should be out in force to beat the heads of all from right to left who want to riot.
Click to expand...

Allowed to speak is an interesting concept. What I would do is shove him into a closet. Set him up with laptop with a webcam and facebook live, let him preach to his heart's content. There is no reason why a physical crowd of nazi sympathizers need to be in attendance.
 
JamesBY said:
I despise fascists from left wing to right wing, and Spencer is Numero Uno on my despise list.

However, . . . he should be allowed to speak, the U should proved LEO, and the local and regional LEO should be out in force to beat the heads of all from right to left who want to riot.
Click to expand...

Why? Colleges aren't required to host an event for every dick with a microphone, especially when said dick advocates ousting a quarter of their student body and presents a large security risk.

Having a right to speak does not mean other people or institutions should be forced to support their message. Free speech =/= an obligation to support their message.

If he wants to speak in Michigan so bad, he can host his own event and just drop MSU some flyers.
 
JamesBY said:
I despise fascists from left wing to right wing, and Spencer is Numero Uno on my despise list.

However, . . . he should be allowed to speak, the U should proved LEO, and the local and regional LEO should be out in force to beat the heads of all from right to left who want to riot.
Click to expand...

Why should they be allowed to speak at the university?

They have a wide variety of area's that are purely public spaces in which they can speak. I expect the U of M is a state university so it can not be seen as truly a private enterprise, but as students do pay a significant amount of tuition to go there it is not entirely a public institution. I also doubt a public high school would be required to allow the guy to speak, yet it entirely funded by the government
 
MSU should allow the racist, white nationalist speak. But they should also make it as obvious as possible that Richard Spencer and his White Nationalist think tank are racist, Anti-Semites who's views do not reflect Western Values.
 
JamesBY said:
I despise fascists from left wing to right wing, and Spencer is Numero Uno on my despise list.

However, . . . he should be allowed to speak, the U should proved LEO, and the local and regional LEO should be out in force to beat the heads of all from right to left who want to riot.
Click to expand...

There's no such thing as a left fascist. I'd prefer honesty in this dialogue.
 
Whatsthematter? Spencer getting tired of the hoods and torches scene?
 
fmw said:
I would say that the University has the privilege of accepting or denying any group the privilege to speak on campus. It is no different than a city requiring a permit to protest. Do they have a right to speak? Yes. Do they have a right to speak wherever they wish? No.
Click to expand...

Michigan State is a government University. As such IMO, there are two alternatives. Ban all speakers or allow all speakers. You don't get to pick and choose.
 
Michigan State is state owned. As such, yes, they should give every one the same access to their facilities. If some one, even if they are vile, nasty people, meets the requirements to rent a hall, then the school should be expected to rent them the hall. A private school can pick and choose, state owned, not so much.
 
fmw said:
I would say that the University has the privilege of accepting or denying any group the privilege to speak on campus. It is no different than a city requiring a permit to protest. Do they have a right to speak? Yes. Do they have a right to speak wherever they wish? No.
Click to expand...

I don't believe cities can require a permit to protest. Cities can require a permit to use public space to protest. But cities cannot require a permit or ban outright speech based on content.
 
I don't know if MSU is a government sponsored university or not. If it is then they have to give equal speaking time to any group no matter what group it is. If however it is a private institution then they are allowed to deny such requests.

That said Flouncy, there is a difference between recruiting for terrorist activities and recruiting for idea's. ISIS is a terror group that actively goes out and blow crap up. The KKK/Neo-Nazi's do not.

If however ISIS were to come here and simply recruit for their religion, and not incite violence then yes, they have every right to speak such and even recruit people into their religion.
 
fmw said:
I would say that the University has the privilege of accepting or denying any group the privilege to speak on campus. It is no different than a city requiring a permit to protest. Do they have a right to speak? Yes. Do they have a right to speak wherever they wish? No.
Click to expand...
Wishy washy, imo. A uni has an obligation to provide free speech opportunities, particularly to forums they despise.
 
Kal'Stang said:
I don't know if MSU is a government sponsored university or not. If it is then they have to give equal speaking time to any group no matter what group it is. If however it is a private institution then they are allowed to deny such requests.
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MSU is a public university. It served as a model for the land grant colleges. They do not have to give equal time(which they do not really control), but equal access. In other words, they cannot give preferential treatment based on political philosophy.
 
Lord Tammerlain said:
Why should they be allowed to speak at the university?

They have a wide variety of area's that are purely public spaces in which they can speak. I expect the U of M is a state university so it can not be seen as truly a private enterprise, but as students do pay a significant amount of tuition to go there it is not entirely a public institution. I also doubt a public high school would be required to allow the guy to speak, yet it entirely funded by the government
Click to expand...
Lord T, a uni's function is to provide an education. The effing Alt Right have every bit as much a right to free speech there as do the Young Republicans or the Young Socialists.
 
Flouncy Magoo said:
GRAND RAPIDS - Michigan State University was sued Sunday in federal court over its decision last month to deny a white nationalist group's request to speak on campus.

The lawsuit was filed by attorney Kyle Bristow on behalf of Cameron Padgett and says the university violated the First and Fourteenth amendments.

In the lawsuit, Bristow says his client — a Georgia State University student — attempted to rent a conference room at MSU's Kellogg Hotel & Conference Center so Richard Spencer, a prominent white nationalist and president and director of the The National Policy Institute, could speak about his "Alt-Right philosophy."

MSU denied the request. In a statement explaining the decision, MSU President Lou Anna Simon said it "was made due to significant concerns about public safety in the wake of the tragic violence in Charlottesville."

She added that while she and the university "remain firm in our commitment to freedom of expression, our first obligation is to the safety and security of our students and our community."

Michigan State sued after denying request for white nationalist group to speak on campus


"We want to use government to force you to allow us to tell you why government shouldn't be allowed to force you to associate with us"
-Alt right

Should Nazi terrorists like Richard Spencer be allowed to recruit more Nazi terrorists? Should we allow ISIS to send speakers here to recruit more terrorists for their wars? They have a right to speak, too, right?
Click to expand...




If the school is a state school it is a government school, which means it is constitutionally bound to let these idiots speak.
 
Flouncy Magoo said:
There's no such thing as a left fascist. I'd prefer honesty in this dialogue.
Click to expand...



Since most fascists take over healthcare, education, the economy, one could argue they all are.


but ANTIFA are the current left wing fascists du jour.
 
Sure wish they would come to Chicago ... they could give a speech and have Beer and Pizza afterwards.
 
jimbo said:
Michigan State is a government University. As such IMO, there are two alternatives. Ban all speakers or allow all speakers. You don't get to pick and choose.
Click to expand...

then your position is if the university would not authorize an isis recruiter to speak on campus then no other speaker should be allowed to make a verbal presentation at that university
an interesting take; all or nothing
no provision for security concerns or the interest of the university itself
 
fmw said:
I would say that the University has the privilege of accepting or denying any group the privilege to speak on campus. It is no different than a city requiring a permit to protest. Do they have a right to speak? Yes. Do they have a right to speak wherever they wish? No.
Click to expand...

Do they accept federal funding?
 
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