U. of Nebraska Won’t Expel White-Nationalist Student, Chancellor Says

The University of Nebraska at Lincoln’s chancellor, Ronnie D. Green, announced on Thursday that a student who has called himself “the most active white nationalist in the Nebraska area” would not be expelled. The chancellor cited the student’s First Amendment protections.

U. of Nebraska at Lincoln

Green’s decision follows the publication, in late January, of a live-streamed video in which the student, Daniel Kleve, and five other men discuss the future of white nationalism in America. Campus groups have held protests and demanded that Kleve, a junior, be expelled for his comments about his love of violence, The Daily Nebraskan reported.

Excerpts of the original video were republished alongside claims that Kleve attended the “Unite the Right” rally, in Charlottesville, Va., in August, and that “he marched and committed violent acts as a member of Vanguard America.” He was also interviewed about the two sides of the alt-right, the “normies” and the “skinheads.”

“Just because I dress like a normie, a presentable person, doesn’t mean that I don’t love violence, right?” Kleve said in the video, posted by Anti-Fascist Action Nebraska. “You don’t have to be a violent person to be violent.”

The chancellor denounced Kleve’s statements, saying they were “rooted in racism and bigotry.” And he said he had heard students’ concerns that were voiced during a “No Nazis on UNL Campus” protest.

“Many of you have shared feelings of frustration and concern,” Green said in an email to students, faculty, and staff. “Know that I hear you, the campus leadership hears you, and we stand by and with you.”

Kleve posted a response to the situation on Tuesday, saying the video was “horribly edited, put behind spooky music, and was used as a way to kind of paint me as this Hollywood villain or some sort of domestic terrorist.”

While Kleve will not be expelled, Green said campus safety is his top priority, and the University of Nebraska Police Department is closely monitoring the situation.

University police officers, Green said, “will take the action needed to ensure safety on this campus — I trust their judgment, competence, and professionalism to manage this situation in a manner that protects the safety of all members of our campus community.”