Richard Spencer's Speech at Auburn Met with Protests and, Even, Disinterest
It took a week of contentious back-and-forth with Auburn University聽and聽a last-minute federal judge ruling in his favor, but white nationalist聽Richard Spencer聽finally had his chance to speak.聽
But when the time came on Tuesday, most of the excitement and substance was outside the auditorium, where hundreds of students had confronted far fewer white nationalist extremists gathered to show their support for the 39-year-old head of the National Policy Institute, a white nationalist think tank.
Inside the auditorium, Spencer repeatedly attacked college football, extolled the virtue of 鈥渨hite identity鈥� and, most importantly, congratulated himself for enlisting Klan lawyer Sam Dixon to challenge Auburn鈥檚 decision earlier in the week to cancel Spencer鈥檚 speech.
鈥淲e won an amazing victory this afternoon. We won a victory that鈥檚 going to have echoes around the world. And I don鈥檛 mean echoes the way you mean echoes,鈥� Spencer said as his speech began in Foy Hall, specifically聽addressing about 100 racists in attendance directly by referring to the racist "alt-right"聽practice of putting triple parentheses around Jewish names.
Spencer鈥檚 address, part of an ongoing tour of college campuses announced earlier this year, was perhaps the most contested he has yet made. While appearances from other alt-right representatives, including former Breitbart News tech editor Milo Yiannopoulos, have turned violent, Spencer took the unexpected step of challenging Auburn in federal court for cancelling the event.
鈥淲e strongly deplore his views, which run counter to those of this institution. While his event isn鈥檛 affiliated with the university, Auburn supports the constitutional right to free speech,鈥� university officials said in a statement a week before then event. Then, just days later, the university cancelled the event altogether 鈥渂ased on legitimate concerns and credible evidence聽that it will jeopardize the safety of students, faculty, staff and visitors.鈥�
The back-and-forth drew national interest at a time when college campuses are quickly becoming proving聽grounds for young white nationalists eager to challenge what they have increasingly and viciously lampooned as centers for 鈥渓eftist indoctrination.鈥� And the question at hand was simple: As deplorable as his views were, could a university silence them?
As , a professor of law at the University of Chicago (Spencer鈥檚 alma mater), noted in an op-ed published Tuesday in , Spencer鈥檚 fight came 40 years to the month after the Illinois Supreme Court, the United States Court of Appeals and the United States Supreme Court ruled that the town of Skokie, Illinois, a northern suburb of Chicago, could not bar the neo-Nazi National Socialist Party of America from marching.聽鈥淭he Skokie controversy was a landmark victory for the First Amendment,鈥� Stone wrote. 鈥淚t proved that the rule of law must and can prevail.鈥� He added, 鈥淎uburn had it right the first time.鈥�
It wasn鈥檛 the first time a university cancelled a venue for an alt-right luminary. noted in its coverage of Spencer that the University of California Berkeley cancelled Yiannopoulos鈥檚 appearance after protesters caused $100,000 in damage to campus. At least six were injured there.
The unfortunate reality聽to Spencer鈥檚 court victory, though, was that while a federal judge ruled he had the right to speak, it didn鈥檛 ensure the students would listen.
In fact, by the time Spencer wrapped up his 45-minute address and turned to questions, the audience had started to thin and would continue to do so for the rest of his time on stage. Students who did line up at one of two microphones challenged Spencer and demanded facts to support the claims of his rambling thesis that white identity was superior.
At one point, Spencer conceded, 鈥淓ven if whites were inferior in every way, I would still fight for my people, and I would say everything I just said. But thank goodness that鈥檚 not true. We鈥檙e f------ awesome.鈥�
Outside, however, protesters gathered by the hundreds to voice their opposition, some dressed in costumes and dancing to taunt the racists and neo-Nazis who had come to express support for Spencer. One protester, wearing an orange body suit, danced in front of gathering of extremists while 鈥淲hy Can鈥檛 We Be Friends鈥� by War played over a speaker.
The extremists who came to stand in support with Spencer included Matthew Heimbach of the Traditionalist Workers Party, Brad Griffin, publisher of the white nationalist blog Occidental Dissent, as well as a sizable number of Hammerskins, t extremists and neo-Confederates.
Capt. Lorenza Dorsey told the that three people were arrested for disorderly conduct. It was unclear if they were protesters or extremists there to see Spencer, though Michael Hill, head of the neo-Confederate League of the South, posted a plea on Facebook Wednesday to raise money for a member he said was arrested.
鈥淥ne of our compatriots bloodied a big, ugly AntiFa in Auburn last night, was arrested, and fined $500. We are raising funds to offset his fine. At this (12 noon, 19 April), we have three pledges of $25 each,鈥� Hill wrote. 鈥淲e must always be ready to help our brother and sisters in this fight!鈥�
