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In time we hate that which we often fear.
-- William Shakespeare
Richard Spencer (Wikipedia photo)
Universities are conscious about supporting the First Amendment, of being a marketplace of diverse thoughts and ideas.
So it's understandable that Michigan State University took a measured approach to a request by white nationalist Richard Spencer, head of the National Policy Institute, to rent campus space to speak. After some hand-wringing and careful deliberations, MSU says no.
It supports freedom of expression, a statement Thursday says, but has "significant concerns about public safety" in the wake of last weekend's deadly violence in Charlottesville, Va.
Spencer has made his way to the national limelight by using Nazi-like language and insisting America belongs to white people. After attending the madness in Virginia, he was quoted in The New York Times as saying: "It was a huge moral victory in terms of the show of force."
There should be no hand-wringing, no apologies to Spencer, no excuses such as safety fears.
It's really a no-brainer. First Amendment or not, public universities supported by people of all stripes shouldn't provide platforms for blatantly racist, anti-Semitic speakers. A line should be drawn. We can't rely on our president to draw one.
You might ask, who draws that line? How restrictive do we get? Are we ultimately undermining the spirit of the First Amendment?
The flip side of those questions is: Do we allow groups like the KKK to hold rallies and speak on campus because we don't want to appear that we're trampling on the First Amendment or being close minded? Where is the line? Let's use common sense, and let's not lean on a public safety crutch when telling the KKK it can't speak on campus.
Sure, there are gray lines in some cases. And yes, each request should be considered on a case-by-case basis.
But when the hatred is so obviously thick, it shouldn't take much deliberation before saying no.
For MSU, it appeared not to be so clear-cut.
President Lou Anna Simon says in the statement: “Allowing access to public spaces would in no way constitute endorsement of messages that might be delivered there. NPI and similar groups’ events staged at American campuses are intended to provoke reaction that might seem to justify organizers’ racist and divisive messages, which we categorically reject.”
If they sue to speak and win in court, so be it. At least MSU can say it took the high road.
As a journalist I can't be anything but pro-First Amendment. And yes, I support the right of these hate groups to espouse their views on blogs or at public rallies. They have a right to speak.
But universities and students also have rights -- including the right to say no to hate.
In this MSU case, consider it -- in the words of Richard Spencer -- "a moral victory."
