Auburn University has canceled a speech next week by Richard Spencer citing security issues as the reason. Richard Spencer is not buying the 'explanation' however, he vows to fight back against the university and to stand by free speech.
In a short statement, the University said that they have arrived at their decision to cancel Spencer's speech in consultation with law enforcement. The Auburn Police Department for its part said Spencer's appearance on campus would " pose a threat to public safety" supposedly because of the "possible civil unrest and criminal activity".
Spencer has already paid $700 to rent a room at the campus student center for the speech before the university canceled the event.
Spencer is not taking the cancellation sitting down, without putting up a big fight. He is waging a free speech war against the university instead.
In an interview with the student newspaper The Plainsman, Spencer said he is not backing down and even promised that the university " will rue the day" they decided to cancel his speech.
Spencer also said he will not follow the university's order. He vowed to show up and still give his speech at the university. He insisted they can not shut him down. Spencer stressed that a university is a public place. He also called Auburn University as being "naive". He said they had totally misunderstood who he is. He vowed that university officials are mistaken if they think he will politely back out of the event just because they said so. He vowed that he will be there 100%.
Spencer called his fight for free speech in his Twitter post "the civil rights struggle of our time". He said he will never back down to the politically-correct police and the despicable Antifa Black Bloc. He also asked his supporters and followers to fight with him and donate to his cause, and then gave a link to his site.
Some of Spencer's followers quickly came to his defense, with some echoing his fight for free speech call, while others opted to mock the university and the police involved with the cancellation. Others encouraged Spencer to file a lawsuit against Auburn University and the Auburn Police Department.
He and his followers widely used the hashtag #LETSPENCERSPEAK in their social media posts.
The university's move has only succeeded in sparking his determination more, Spencer stressed. He said that because of what they did to him, he will not only show up but that he will turn it into a " massive event". He has asked his supporters to buy safety gear for the event.
He ended his interview with the student publication with a huge challenge, turning his speech cancellation into a narrative of one big fight for free speech. He said that his case with Auburn University is "going to be a huge challenge to see whether we have free speech in the United States or whether we don't."
