AKRON, Ohio _ White nationalist Richard Spencer says it is time to "take a step back" from his college speaking tour and apparently is no longer trying to speak at Kent State University.
Spencer posted a video to YouTube earlier this month in which he said, "I don't have any firm answers about what we should do going forward, and also I am committed to the alt-right having a public face and having public expressions."
The video followed Spencer's talk amid protests at Michigan State University on March 5.
To settle a lawsuit, Michigan State allowed Spencer to speak on campus during spring break.
Spencer said in the video he spoke "to a much reduced crowd" in East Lansing, Mich., "due to ... effectively the riot outside."
Spencer apparently was referring to the hundreds of protesters outside the Michigan State auditorium where he spoke.
Fights broke out and there were arrests, according to the Detroit Free Press. The newspaper said at least 100 officers in riot gear appeared to be on the scene.
Spencer, reflecting on the Michigan protests, in his video blamed anti-fascist _ also known as antifa _ extremists for violence outside his talks and said "antifa has been escalating" in its response to his appearances. "Normal college students are afraid to enter the auditorium," he said.
"The college tour is not about pitched battles. It is about intellectual activity," he said. "And until something changes, I'm going to have to rethink how I do this."
He said one way to continue his public speaking is not to announce events ahead of time, tipping off opponents.
Last month, Kent State denied a request by Spencer's attorney Kyle Bristow to have Spencer and others speak at the university on May 4, the 48th anniversary of the day in 1970 when the Ohio National Guard fired into a crowd of protesters on the campus. The community annually commemorates the four people who were killed and nine who were wounded.
Kent State has said: "We cannot accommodate this request as no suitable space is available during the April 30-May 12 time frame."
Bristow had threatened to sue Kent State University after the denial.
Spencer is a leading figure in the alt-right movement. He has used the alt-right term "to describe a loose set of far-right ideals centered on 'white identity' and the preservation of 'Western civilization,'" according to the Southern Poverty Law Center.
Spencer began the college tour in 2016, and Cameron Padgett, Spencer's tour manager, has sued other public universities, including Ohio State, University of Cincinnati and Pennsylvania State, alleging they are violating his free speech rights by refusing to let him rent space for Spencer's speeches. The universities cited safety concerns.
Earlier this month, Spencer dropped his lawsuit against Ohio State.
However, a new attorney for Spencer, James Kolenich, who lives outside Cincinnati, told The Associated Press that he and Padgett, the tour manager, would continue with the case in federal court against the University of Cincinnati.
Bristow sued that school in January after it said Padgett would need to pay a nearly $11,000 fee to cover security costs.
