A speaker who identifies as a white nationalist has been invited to speak at the University of Alabama, according to university president Stuart Bell.

University officials confirmed Jared Taylor was invited by the student organization America First to speak at UA on April 19.

Taylor is the editor of American Renaissance, an online publication which asserts: "Race and racial conflict are at the heart of some of the most serious challenges the Western World faces in the 21st century....Attempts to gloss over the significance of race or even to deny its reality only make problems worse."

"Taylor projects himself as a courtly presenter of ideas that most would describe as crudely white supremacist -- a kind of modern-day version of the refined but racist colonialist of old," the Southern Poverty Law Center once wrote of Taylor.



Bell informed faculty and students via email that a UA student organization invited the speaker, not the school. Bell did not identify the speaker or the student organization that invited the person.

"A registered student organization invited a speaker to our campus in mid-April who has been identified as a white nationalist," Bell's email says. "This ideology is counter to our institutional values. The University of Alabama did not invite this individual. UA stands for the equality of all people."



Bell notes that as a public university, the law and UA's commitment to free speech do not allow it to refuse the speaker based on the content of speech. The registered student organization followed appropriate policies and processes, according to Bell.



"The best way to demonstrate distaste for hateful dialogue is not to give it an audience," Bell wrote. "At this time, we understand other events and activities are in the planning stages.



"Many in the campus community, including campus leadership, have strong feelings against the messages this person may espouse. The security of our campus is our absolute priority. Hate and bigotry have no place at The University of Alabama. Our community is diverse, inclusive and accepting, and we are committed to treating one another respectfully. We value the ways diversity enriches our University community."



We will update this story as new information becomes available.

Journalist Will Nevin contributed to this report.