White Nationalist, Richard Spencer, to Speak at UF Today
Students and community members in Gainesville protest hate speech.
October 19, 2017
White Nationalist, Richard Spencer, is slated to speak at the University of Florida today. He is scheduled to speak at 2:30 p.m. in the Curtis M. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts.
CNN reports that this is Spencer’s first visit to a college campus since he participated in the “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Va. where a woman was killed when protests turned violent.
The Orlando Sentinel reports that the The National Policy Institute, Spencer’s group, originally requested space to speak at UF on Sep. 19, but after some of his supporters donned Ku Klux Klan attire and violence broke out at the rally in Charlottesville, the University of Florida canceled the event.
UF finally granted their request after the National Policy Institute threatened to sue the school.
In a letter to students and in light of the violence that broke out in Charlottesville, the college announced it is spending upwards on half a million dollars on security for the day.
“UF is required by law to allow Mr. Spencer to speak his racist views on our campus, and we are not allowed by law to bill him for the full costs of keeping our campus safe, which exceed more than a half million dollars,” said UF President Kent Fuchs in the letter to students.
Florida Governor Rick Scott has also declared a state of emergency for Alachua County to enable the deployment of the National Guard should it be needed.
A group called “No Nazis” at UF is planning a protest on campus. Nearly 3,000 people have said they will attend. The group will meet at 3201 Hull Rd. at 1 p.m.
Shawn Livermore • Oct 26, 2017 at 1:23 pm
It makes no sense for students to be upset that a white nationalist is visiting their campus to speak. We do have freedom of speech in this country. But, it is interesting that there is slavery in ALL Muslim countries and the same liberal students aren’t upset over it. All Muslims whether they are students or not believe that gays should be executed or arrested. They also believe that Jews and Christians should be killed. it is in their Quran. It is what they are taught to believe. They are also not upset that approximately 13,000,000 black babies are aborted a year by their own mothers in the U.S. not by Nazi’s, by their own mothers! The same women who would riot if a black criminal is shot by a white police officer. Black African slaves are tortured in Muslim countries. But, hey be friends with people who not only believe in these practices but, actually do them. Meanwhile, people like Valencia Colleges own Peace and Justice Institute not only stand by the Muslim beliefs, they go a step further and take them to the very mosque that has a YOU Tube video,,,,check it out, where they talk about how gays should be executed! On a door on West campus, of all places, a predominantly black campus, they have a door sign by Student Development that reads WE STAND BY MUSLIMS. Hypocrisy at it’s finest!