Richard Spencer Speech Drowned Out in Florida; Event Turns Violent
Florida Gov. Rick Scott made the right call when he issued a State of Emergency before Alt-Right leader Richard Spencer’s scheduled speech at the University of Florida last October 19.
As expected, the speech was well attended but mostly by anti-Richard Spencer protestors who frequently raised their fists and drowned out the white nationalist advocate’s speech with shouts of “Go home Spencer!”
Spencer was forced to cut short his visit by 25 minutes as the crowd intensified its disapproval. But the Alt- Right figure remained defiant:
“Do you think this is going to be read as ‘great victory for U of F’? No, it’s going to be read as the University of Florida is filled with child-like Antifa who shout at people as opposed to talking to them. I feel sorry for you.”
Spencer is the President of the National Policy Institute and Washington Summit Publishers. He believes that America “belongs to white men” and wants to bring back “white privilege” by advocating a “peaceful ethnic cleansing” and to “halt the deconstruction of European culture”.
Although he is identified as a “White Supermacist” he rejects the term and prefers to be known as an identitarian. Spencer is widely credited as introducing the term Alt-Right. His rallies are often participated by white nationalists, misogynists and conspiracy theorists.
About one hour after Spencer’s speech ended, three men riding in a silver jeep allegedly drove up to a nearby bus stop where protesters congregated. According to police reports, the three men suddenly shouted “Heil Hitler!” several times at the group of protesters.
Incensed, the protesters vented their ire on the three men. A protester used a baton to hit the rear window of the jeep which prompted one of the three men, later identified as Tyler Tenbrink to pull out a handgun and fire at the group.
The Florida police and its Highway Patrol eventually caught the suspects around 20 miles north of Gainesville. Other than Tenbrink, two of the suspects were brothers Colton and William Fears.
All three men were placed in jail with Tenbrink assessed a $3 Million bond and the Fears Brothers, $1 Million.
Spencer was responsible for organizing the “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Virginia where an alleged Nazi sympathizer drove his car into the crown and killed one woman.