Tonight, former Rep. Allen West (R-FL) will be in Chicago speaking at an event organized by DePaul University students. The event is sponsored by the student group Young Americans for Freedom (YAF) – a project of the national Young America’s Foundation which has chapters at college campuses across the country. Over the years West has been known to make incendiary remarks with some frequency. Among other things, West has previously described policies supported by Democrats as an “insidious form of slavery” and claimed proponents of religious coexistence represent “something that would give away our country.”
During his two years in Congress, West became a favorite of the far-Right and has continued to regularly associate with nativist organizations since losing his reelection campaign in 2012. Last year West spoke at anti-immigrant events like the DC March for Jobs and the Americans4Work symposium on unemployment. The former congressman was also honored by the anti-Muslim ACT! for America during the organization’s national conference.