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Jack Posobiec, an alt-right conspiracy theorist who promoted the false "Pizzagate" child sex ring in 2016 and promoted the "Stop the Steal" movement over the 2020 election, is scheduled to speak on the UL campus in October.

Posobiec's appearance is at the request of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette chapter of Turning Point USA, whose mission, according to its website is "to identify, educate, train, and organize students to promote the principles of freedom, free markets, and limited government."

Michael Lunsford, executive director of the conservative government watchdog Citizens for a New Louisiana based in Lafayette, approached the university group with the suggestion they bring Posobiec in as a speaker, he said Friday.

Lunsford said his group is always trying to encourage "good conservative folks" from across the nation to speak in the Lafayette area. The COVID pandemic put a halt to that, but he thought Posobiec was a good fit.

Anthony Algeciras, president of the UL chapter of Turning Point USA, did not respond to messages Friday requesting comment for this story.

Posobiec worked for former Trump adviser Roger Stone, who he described as a mentor, rising to prominence on Twitter and through appearances on alt-right platforms such as Steve Bannon's "War Room" podcast, the anti-government conspiracy network Infowars and One America News Network.

Since Donald Trumps 2016 presidential campaign, the Southern Poverty Law Center writes, "Posobiec has emerged as arguably the most active spreader of disinformation among all internet performers in the far-right social media ecosystem.

"He pushed the 'Pizzagate' lie in 2016, suggesting that Democratic politicians frequented a nonexistent pedophile dungeon below a Washington, D.C., pizzeria," the SPLC wrote.

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Posobiec has associated with authoritarians and neo-Nazis, has promoted anti-Jewish hate and said he associates with Oath Keepers.

The UL chapter of Turning Point USA "has taken the initial steps to host this event and is in the process of completing the necessary paperwork to do so," Eric Maron, UL senior communications representative, said in an email response to The Acadiana Advocate's inquiry Thursday.

The university, Maron said, "is committed to the free, safe and lawful expression of ideas. Open dialogue is fundamental to the Universitys academic mission and its role in advancing the public interest."

UL's Campus Free Speech Policy, he said, "is designed to ensure that events that involve the free exchange of ideas are orderly, safe and respectful.

"Maintaining an environment of rational and critical inquiry requires hearing a multitude of opinions," Maron added, "even those that may differ from each other and that may differ from our own as individuals."

A UL alum who goes by the handle BongWizarrd posted on the social media platform Reddit a letter he wrote to UL President Joseph Savoie, lobbying against the Oct. 24 Posobiec event, which he called "deplorable". He encouraged other UL alumni to do the same.

Contacted by The Acadiana Advocate on Friday, he requested to remain anonymous, citing heated exchanges and pushback he has received because of the Reddit post.

"If Posobiec is allowed to speak in October, it will greatly damage the racial relations of the students and faculty on campus," BongWizarrd wrote. "If Posobiec is allowed to speak, it will forever go down as a stain on the University's reputation."

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Alt-right conspiracy theorist, Stop the Steal and Pizzagate pusher ...