University of Florida students -- prompted to stay away on Thursday, don't give white nationalist Richard Spencer the satisfaction of attention -- nevertheless marched in the hundreds on the campus theater Spencer rented. But on the whole, with a strong police presence, the afternoon was relatively violence-free.
Inside the Phillips Center, resistance outnumbered Spencer allies, graduate student Len Larange told Sunshine State News. "I saw police in riot gear in the balcony above making sure nothing got out of hand. And mostly, it didn't. You couldn't hear Spencer that well -- too much shouting."
Larange said he wasn't a passionate observer on either side: "I was there for the experience, that's about it."
Spencer seemed to revel in the attention. He held a pre-speech news conference in which he denied being a white supremacist and compared his vision of an "ethno state" to the pursuit of Israel as a Jewish state. He also parried reporters' questions with condescending answers, calling them "dumb," "not smart enough," and compared them to preschoolers.
And he described his supporters as being oppressed by "politically correct" opponents.
He called Thursday's event a victory, proof "that we are persevering."
“These universities have become cesspools of anti-white vitriol,” Eli Mosley of Identity Europa said from the stage, ahead of Spencer.
The reaction was a chant of “Black Lives Matter” that roared through the venue. People booed and cursed at Mosley.
When time came for the speech, Spencer -- introduced as a "spokesman for white people everywhere" -- was met with a chorus of boos and chants from protesters in the audience. He called them "a mob" and accused them of "attempting to turn your academic community into a stifling place."
According to News & Observer live-stream coverage of the event on Twitter, "The heckling came early and often ... The yelling, chanting and clenching of fists lasted for about an hour.
"While UF allowed Richard Spencer to speak on campus, at least 100 UF students and enemies of the prominent firebrand attempted a so-called 'heckler’s veto.'"
“Go home, Spencer,” protesters shouted, "What are you still doing here?"
Replied Spencer's nationalist supporters, "You will not replace us."
Through it all, Spencer persisted with his message of white nationalism and freedom of speech, no matter how offensive.
Said the N&O streamer, "Spencer, although appearing frustrated at times, remained relatively calm. He spoke the praises of his 'alt-right' movement, one he vowed would overtake the world.
“'There’s been an awakening,' he said. 'And I think all you here have felt it.'
"After being shouted over by the crowd, which at one point resorted to UF Football chants, Spencer attempted to allow the crowd to tire itself out. He then opened the event up to questions, most of which were hostile."
Protesters outside, meanwhile, told national media the idea was "to turn out in numbers that would make the number of Spencer supporters look tiny" and that's what they did.
"We don't want your Nazi hate," they chanted, pounding drums and carrying signs championing diversity.
"I don’t believe staying home is an option in the face of hate and evil," Timothy Tia, a student organizer, told NBC News.
Spencer's UF speech was part of his alt-right tour of public universities that has triggered passionate debates about the boundaries of free speech and hate speech. Most of all, it fanned fears of continued violence.
Florida law enforcement was prepared. Gov. Rick Scott's early State of Emergency declaration brought thought, planning and a force of some 500 officers to the event. The university said it was committed to upholding the First Amendment, even if that required security measures that would cost the university north of $500,000.
Protesters on each side of the issue rarely were allowed to get close to each other. Law enforcement sectioned off one area for pro-Spencer protesters and another area for anti-Spencer protesters, about 50 yards apart. The university banned an extensive list of items, including torches, masks, weapons and athletic equipment that could be used as a weapon.
At first the university was among a number of public schools that refused to host Spencer, citing threats of violence similar to what took place in Charlottesville, where Spencer's torch-carrying followers, along with the Ku Klux Klan and neo-Nazis, participated in an Aug. 12 "Unite the Right" rally to protest the removal of a statue honoring Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee. They clashed violently with counterprotesters, including members of the so-called antifa movement (short for anti-fascists). A participant plowed his car into a crowd of counterprotesters, killing a woman.
The school later reversed its decision, erring on the side of the First Amendment.
Reach Nancy Smith at nsmith@sunshinestatenews.com or at 228-282-2423. Twitter: NancyLBSmith
