Richard Spencer banned again from Europe’s visa-free zone: Report

White nationalist Richard Spencer has reportedly been banned from visiting the 26 countries encompassing the Europe’s visa-free Schengen area for another five years.

A source close to the Polish Foreign Ministry has confirmed a report published by state-run media this week that said Mr. Spencer was re-barred from entering the Schengen area, The Associated Press reported Wednesday.

Mr. Spencer, 39, was initially banned from the Schengen area for three years after being arrested in Hungary in October 2014. He had planned to travel to Poland and Sweden for a pair of appearance earlier this month, but canceled the trip in lieu of risking being denied entry.

Indeed, immigration officials recently reinstated the ban for another half-decade at the request of Polish authorities, PAP, the state-run news agency, first reported Monday, citing its own sources close to its Foreign Ministry.

Mr. Spencer hadn’t been notified of the ban as of Wednesday this week but said he would try to contest it, AP reported.

“I’m being treated like a criminal by the Polish government. It’s just insane,” Mr. Spencer told the newswire. “I haven’t done anything. What are they accusing me of?”

The European Commission referred to national authorities when contacted by The Washington Times, and the Polish Foreign Ministry did not immediately return an email seeking comment.

When Mr. Spencer previously expressed interest in traveling to Poland this month, the ministry issued a statement that said, in part: “We believe that the ideas promoted by Mr. Spencer and his followers could pose a threat to all those who hold dear the values of human rights and democracy.”

Mr. Spencer is the president and director of the National Policy Institute think tank and is widely regarded as a leading figure within the alt-right, a far-right political movement that advocates white ethno-nationalism, among other racist ideologies. He was a participant in the Aug. 12 “Unite the Right” demonstration in Charlottesville, Virginia, that was linked to the death of a counterprotester and two state troopers, according to police.

Earlier this week, the University of Michigan announced that it will moeve forward with plans to let Mr. Spencer host an alt-right event on campus despite concerns raised by students opposed to his speech as well as administrators wary of likely protests.