Organizer says Richard Spencer, who was denied a request to speak at Phillips Center, intends to come to campus Sept. 12.

White nationalist Richard Spencer intends to come to Gainesville, whether he has a permit or not.

“I can confirm we are coming to the University of Florida, regardless,” said Cameron Padgett, who organizes speaking events for Spencer. “Hopefully it’s in a controlled environment, like the Phillips Center."

Earlier this month, the University of Florida denied a permit, filed by Padgett, for Spencer and others aligned with Spencer's National Policy Institute to speak at the Phillips Center on Sept. 12.

City officials and local police said they have been preparing as if the group plans to speak, though there hasn’t been confirmation.

Padgett said he has hired an attorney to review UF’s cancellation to see whether it violates their right to speak. If efforts to use the Phillips Center fail, he intends to show up to speak, somewhere else on campus.

"We were informed late this afternoon that representatives of the organization have retained legal counsel and plan to pursue efforts to hold this event as originally requested," UF President Kent Fuchs said in a statement sent out to the university community at 8 p.m. Wednesday.

"No formal complaint has been filed at this time. We are prepared to vigorously defend our decision. The safety of our students, faculty and staff is our highest priority," Fuchs said.

Under UF policy, "Demonstrations may be held anywhere on the campus, so long as they do not disrupt the normal operation of the University or infringe on the rights of other members of the University community, except that no demonstrations are permitted inside University buildings."

No distinction is made between demonstrations organized by students or by outsiders. UF spokesman Janine Sikes said it is an "open campus" that allows access to anyone who hasn't yet created a disturbance. "Obviously we have concerns. We have seen violence break out in other places," she said.

Padgett sought to turn the focus to Spencer's message. “It makes us feel like that University is censoring speech,” he said. “If this was Joel Osteen coming to speak, you would need security and it’d be no problem. The First Amendment is pretty clear.”

Padgett sued Auburn University in April after it canceled in an event — and won. But on Aug. 12, Spencer was involved in a "Unite The Right" rally in Charlottesville, home to the University of Virginia. White supremacists clashed with anti-fascist "antifa" extremists, and one person identified as a white supremacist drove into a crowd of peaceful protesters, killing Heather Heyer.

Since then, other universities — Penn State, Florida and Michigan State — have canceled similar events, citing public safety concerns.

“I wouldn’t say it’s a conspiracy, but they all three followed suit,” he said.

City and UF officials have pointed to the Charlottesville violence and threats made in online forums as reasons to deny a platform for Spencer. White supremacists and other far-right groups have targeted college campuses where they see fertile ground to recruit and spread their messages.

But Padgett, 23, a finance major at Georgia State University, says he can’t control what others say and do and that neither his, nor Spencer’s, speeches incite violence. He also said he doesn’t understand how people can tie their speeches to the Charlottesville attacks.

“Unless the speaker incites violence, schools can’t pick and choose who they want to speak there, period,” he said.

Padgett, who considers himself a Libertarian, said he does not identify as alt-right. He claimed he is not a member of the National Policy Institute, which, according to its website, is “dedicated to the heritage, identity and future of people of European descent in the United States and around the world.” However he has represented the group in its contacts with UF.

Padgett told the Associated Press that he calls himself an "identitarian" — not a white nationalist — and insists "advocating for the interests of white people" doesn't make him a racist.

Padgett said only three or four speakers will come to UF, but other groups may follow. A counter-protest event on Facebook called “No Nazis at UF — Protest Richard Spencer” is also planned for Sept. 12. More than 2,000 people have indicated they plan to attend.

Earlier this month, Gov. Rick Scott said he has spoken to the National Guard about the UF event, although that was before UF canceled.

In a statement released Wednesday evening, Fuchs said the school is preparing if the group does appear and that it hasn't been given any formal legal documents.

"We are prepared to vigorously defend our decision," he wrote. "The safety of our students, faculty and staff is our highest priority."

Fuchs said there was never an executed contract for the event. However, UF provided a preliminary estimate for Padgett to rent the Phillips Center for $6,200, a document shows.

Gainesville Mayor Lauren Poe has said that Spencer and others pick college campuses to spark emotion from younger people, but Padgett says that's not so.

“I’d say colleges are good public forums for proper security to get your messages out on an educational platform,” Padgett said.

Contact reporter Andrew Caplan at andrew.caplan@gvillesun.com or on Twitter @AACaplan.

Correspondent Brandon Meyer contributed to this report.