Rep. John Raney, R-College Station, said university officials cited online hate messages, including those sent by some people saying they would bring weapons to the day-long rally planned for Rudder Plaza in the heart of the College Station campus.
A&M System spokesman Laylan Copelin confirmed the cancellation.
Concern about the A&M rally spiked after protests in Charlottesville, Va., by white nationalists turned bloody. The protesters were upset about plans to remove a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee.
Counter-protesters clashed with the white nationalists, and a woman was killed and numerous others injired when a suspect with ties to neo-Nazi groups allegedly drove his car into a group of counter-protesters. Two state troopers died in the crash of a helicopter monitoring events.
Some members of the Texas Legislature from both parties had called on A&M officials to cancel the Sept. 11 event, which was organized by white nationalist Preston Wiginton and dubbed “White Lives Matter.”
Spencer appeared at A&M in December, drawing hundreds of counterprotesters and prompting A&M to host a concurrent event to celebrate diversity.
About the Author