By Jason Dearen, Associated Press

Gainesville, Fla. — October 18, 2017

A day before white nationalist Richard Spencer is scheduled to speak at the University of Florida, its president affirmed his belief in free speech but said the security costs of holding such an event at a public university put an unfair burden on taxpayers.

UF President W. Kent Fuchs said Wednesday in an interview with The Associated Press that Spencer is "hijacking" public universities — which are compelled by the First Amendment to provide a speaking forum — and forcing taxpayers to pay the resulting security costs.

Fuchs estimates the school will spend $600,000 on security for Spencer's planned speech Thursday. The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that the government, in this case a public university, cannot charge speakers for security costs.

Spencer's National Policy Institute is paying $10,564 to rent space for the speaking event.

"I fully understand freedom of speech cannot be burdened legally with the full cost of this, but on the other hand we're being burdened," said Fuchs, sitting in his office on campus in Gainesville. "So taxpayers are subsidizing hate speech."[More]