Only hours after white nationalist James Fields, Jr. drove his car into a crowd of counter protesters in Charlottesville, another white nationalist, Preston Wiginton, announced a similar hate-filled rally would take place on the campus of Texas A&M University on Sept. 11. The event would feature lead white supremacist Richard Spencer, who’s most famous for his vile views and getting punched in the face. Spencer held a similar event last year and thousands of Aggies came out to counter his hateful message:
Spencer's last visit to College Station drew national media attention as A&M officials, faculty and students organized an "Aggies United" rally that drew more than 7,000 to Kyle Field where there was music and a few speeches. Meanwhile, across the street well over 1,200 protesters and scores of others participating in a prayer vigil gathered outside the Memorial Student Center, while inside Spencer gave a speech to about 400 people — of which roughly 100 or so seemed to support his beliefs.
Texas A&M Regent Tony Buzbee initially suggested the community ignore the event:
"It is a damn shame that our university, which sent more officers to fight the Nazis than all the service academies combined, would be tarnished with trash like him," he wrote. "In the end, the best way to deal with a lowlife like him is to ignore him."
After “considerable study,” weighing First Amendment rights versus the safety of the students, faculty and surrounding community, the university issued a statement saying they are rejecting the group's reservation for outdoor space on campus:
After consultation with law enforcement and considerable study, Texas A&M is cancelling the event scheduled by Preston Wiginton at Rudder Plaza on campus on September 11 because of concerns about the safety of its students, faculty, staff, and the public.
Texas A&M changed its policy after December’s protests so that no outside individual or group could reserve campus facilities without the sponsorship of a university-sanctioned group. None of the 1200-plus campus organizations invited Preston Wiginton nor did they agree to sponsor his events in December 2016 or on September 11 of this year. With no university facilities afforded him, he chose instead to plan his event outdoors for September 11 at Rudder Plaza, in the middle of campus, during a school day, with a notification to the media under the headline “Today Charlottesville, Tomorrow Texas A&M.”
Linking the tragedy of Charlottesville with the Texas A&M event creates a major security risk on our campus. Additionally, the daylong event would provide disruption to our class schedules and to student, faculty and staff movement (both bus system and pedestrian).
Texas A&M’s support of the First Amendment and the freedom of speech cannot be questioned. On December 6, 2016 the university and law enforcement allowed the same speaker the opportunity to share his views, taking all of the necessary precautions to ensure a peaceful event. However, in this case, circumstances and information relating to the event have changed and the risks of threat to life and safety compel us to cancel the event.
Finally, the thoughts and prayers of Aggies here on campus and around the world are with those individuals affected by the tragedy in Charlottesville.
The decision to cancel will no doubt spark a debate about the First Amendment. Where do you draw the line?