ALT-RIGHT AND NEO-NAZI LEADER RICHARD SPENCER SPOKE AT THE
UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA TODAY BUT UNFORTUNATELY, DUE TO
PROTESTS, HIS SPEECH GOT CUT A LITTLE SHORT AND HE WAS
UPSET THAT HE WAS BEING BOOED.
NOW FLORIDA HAD BEEN PREPARING FOR THIS FOR THE
ENTIRE WEEK IN WEEKS TO COME UP TO
THE SPEECH.
IN FACT:
THE UNIVERSITY PREPARED FOR THE EVENT
AS WELL.
WHICH IS A LOT OF MONEY AND TAXPAYERS ARE GOING TO HAVE
TO PAY FOR THAT BECAUSE IT IS A PUBLIC UNIVERSITY.
THE PRESIDENT SAID:
NOW LEADING UP TO THE EVENTS, RICHARD SPENCER WAS AWARE THAT
THE STATE OF EMERGENCY WAS ENACTED.
HE WAS AWARE OF THE POLICE AND THE PROTESTERS THAT WERE
PREPARING AND HE WAS EATING IT UP.
IN AN INTERVIEW WITH CNN, HE
SAID:
IT JUST TELLS YOU WHAT KIND OF SWELL GUY HE IS.
AND SO RICHARD SPENCER IS OBVIOUSLY A DOUCHE BAG, ONE, AND
TWO, A HUGE PROPONENT OF FREEDOM
OF SPEECH, RIGHT?
THAT IS WHAT THEY USE AS A GUISE FOR THEIR HATE SPEECH.
BUT WHAT'S INTERESTING THOUGH, IN PREPARATION FOR THIS
EVENT, RICHARD SPENCER HAND SELECTED THE PRESS THAT WAS
ALLOWED INTO THE EVENTS SO THAT HE COULD CONTROL THE SPIN
THAT WAS BEING PLAYED FOR HIS SPEECH.
SO THAT IS A VERY INTERESTING
TWIST IN THE STORY AND I
DEFINITELY WANT TO GET INTO THAT BECAUSE I DO THINK THAT THAT IS
SORT OF IRONIC, GIVEN WHAT SPENCER STANDS FOR AND THE
CONVERSATION THAT HE HAS AROUND FREE SPEECH BUT FIRST, I
WANT TO SHOW YOU GUYS A VIDEO FROM THE NATIONAL REPORTER
FROM THE HOUSE POST.
HE WAS IN THE AUDITORIUM WHEN SPENCER WAS SPEAKING AND
YOU CAN HEAR STUDENTS CHANCING GO HOME SPENCER AND OTHER
VIDEOS YOU CAN HEAR THEM CHANCING THAT NAZIS'S ARE
NOT WELCOME HERE AND SPENCER'S RESPONSE IS KIND OF INTERESTING.
TAKE A LOOK.
FREE-SPEECH EVENT.
THIS IS WHERE THE RUBBER HITS THE ROAD.
WITH THE QUESTION OF FIRST AMENDMENT AND FREE SPEECH.
FREE SPEECH IS A MEANINGLESS CONCEPT.
ALL RIGHT.
SO FEW THINGS THAT I WANT TO CLARIFY.
THE PEOPLE IN THE BACK ARE PUTTING UP THE BLACK POWER
FIST, IT'S HARD TO TELL FROM THE VIDEO.
ESPECIALLY IN THAT KIND OF CROWD, YOU DON'T KNOW PEOPLE
ARE RAISING ONE HAND, WHAT KIND OF SALUTE THEY ARE DOING, SO
THAT IS WHAT THEY WERE DOING AND YOU CAN SEE THE SPACE BETWEEN
ALL OF THE EMPTY CHAIRS AND THAT IS THE SPACE BETWEEN THE
PROTESTERS
IN THE BACK THAT WERE SEPARATED BY THE CHAIRS AND POLICE
AND THEN PRESUMABLY SUPPORTERS OF SPENCER IN THE FRONT.
THERE AREN'T THAT MANY OF THEM BUT PRESUMABLY, THEY WERE THERE.
I HAVE SEEN THEM.
SNAPCHAT HAS A MAP FEATURE WHICH IF YOU PINCH YOUR FACE WHEN
YOU ARE TAKING IS SELFIE, YOU REVEAL THE MAP, THEN YOU
CAN GO TO GAINESVILLE RIGHT NOW WHICH IS WHERE THE
UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA IS AND YOU CAN LOOK ALL OVER CAMPUS.
TODAY OLIVER CAMPUS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA WAS A
GHOST TOWN EXCEPT FOR THE QUICK RESPONSE FORCES WHICH ARE GUYS
IN LONGSLEEVE SHIRTS.
THEY WERE REALLY QUICK ON THAT.
RIGHT BEFORE THE SHOW, KIMBERLY ARCHER FROM UNIVERSITY OF
FLORIDA EMAILED ME SAYING, CAN YOU COVER THE STORY.
THIS IS CRAZY.
SHE SAID THAT STUDENTS WERE AFRAID TO STEP FOOT ON
CAMPUS AND THAT A BUNCH OF PROFESSORS CANCELED CLASSES
BECAUSE THEY WERE TERRIFIED OF VIOLENCE.
THAT IS ABSURD.
YOU CAN SEE INSIDE CLASSROOMS WHERE MULTIPLE STUDENTS
HAVE JUST POSTED THERE'S NO ONE HERE TODAY.
I GUESS I DIDN'T GET THE MEMO BUT INSIDE THE EVENT, YOU CAN
ALSO SEE SOMEONE POSTED A SNAP IN THE BALCONY LOOKING DOWN
AND THERE ARE ABOUT 20 RICHARD SPENCER PEOPLE.
COMPARE THAT TO THE SCORES OF FOLKS OUTSIDE.
ACTUALLY, SNAPCHAT THEY HAVE, THEY GO TOGETHER IN A GROUP
DIFFERENT EVENTS AND THEY GIVE IT A LITTLE TITLE AND YOU
CAN SEE A LITTLE THUMBNAIL.
IT STARTED WITH RICHARD SPENCER EVENT AND THEN THEY CHANGED IT
TO AN EDITED FEATURED VIDEO CALLED, AND IT DISPLACED
THE RICHARD SPENCER EVENT AND IT WAS REPLACED WITH
PROTESTING RACIST AMERICANS.
IT'S INTERESTING BECAUSE A LOT OF FOLKS THAT OPT TO
NOT GO INCLUDING FOLKS WHO DID WANT TO ATTEND THE EVENT
WHO WERE SCARED TO.
A LOT OF FOLKS OPTED TO WATCH IT ONLINE.
I GUESS THAT WAS AN OPTION.
I THINK WHAT THIS MEANS SYMBOLICALLY IS GREAT BUT
IT DOESN'T MEAN THAT FOLKS STILL ARE INTERESTED IN THIS MESSAGE.
YEAH, AND I DON'T THINK THAT'S NECESSARY, WE THINK
CLEARLY, WE SAW IN CHARLOTTESVILLE IT ONLINE ON A
DAILY BASIS THAT FOLKS ARE INTERESTED IN THIS MESSAGE,
REQUESTER BUT WHAT I THINK IS REALLY INTERESTING IS THAT
BEFORE THE EVENTS HE WANTED TO ESSENTIALLY STIFLE THE
FREEDOM OF THE PRESS.
HE WANTED TO PICK AND CHOOSE WHO WAS ALLOWED IN THE ROOM AND
COULD COVER THE EVENT AND THEN, HE CLAIMED THAT DURING THE
SPEECH HE SAID YOU WERE TRYING TO STIFLE OUR FREE SPEECH WHILE
PEOPLE WERE BOOING AND IT IS LIKE, WE ALSO HAS FREEDOM TO
PROTEST AND FREEDOM TO ASSEMBLE AND IT IS LIKE, JUST BECAUSE YOU
HAVE FREE SPEECH DOESN'T MEAN YOU HAVE THE FREEDOM TO BE
HEARD.
THE PROBLEM IS THOSE VOICES ARE LOUDER THANK GOD THEN YOU
AND JUST BECAUSE YOU CAN'T BE HEARD AND YOU DECIDED NOT
TO SPEAK THROUGH THE BOOZE DOESN'T MEAN YOU DON'T HAVE
FREEDOM OF SPEECH.
SORRY, NOT SORRY.
THE VOICES ARE SO MUCH LOUDER THAT HE WAS SELLING TICKETS AND
THERE IS A SMALL GROUP IN THE FRONT WHICH IS COMPLETELY
JUST TO WORKED IN NUMBERS BY THE FOLKS THAT ARE INSIDE, OUTSIDE.
YOU CAN SEE PEOPLE OUTSIDE.
THEY HAD SOME AMAZING CHANCE, ONE OF WHICH WAS JUST NO
VIOLENCE WHEN THINGS STARTED TO GET TESTY THE CROWD WHICH
NO VIOLENCE.
THINGS LIKE RICHARD SPENCER, GO HOME.
NOT IS NOT WELCOME HERE.
THERE WAS SOMEONE TRANSLATING THE CHANCE ENDER SIGN
LANGUAGE FOR PEOPLE WHO WERE HEARING-IMPAIRED AND THAT
OLIVER CAMPUS, PEOPLE HAD PUT UP, FRATERNITIES HAD PUT UP
SIGNS THAT SAID WE ARE ABOUT LOVE AND NOT HATE GOT SOME
AND I JUST PRINTED OUT YOU ARE LOVED ON A BUNCH OF PEOPLE
WHITE PAPER AND IT IS OLIVER CAMPUS.
SOMEONE WHEN ALAN JUST PANNED AROUND AND SHOWED THE
OUTPOURING OF SUPPORT AND IT IS IN MULTIPLE LANGUAGES,
INCLUDING GERMAN AND ENGLISH AND SPANISH.
JUST IN CASE ONE WANTS TO SWITCH SIDES.
I FEEL LIKE WE HAVE THE GOOD GUYS HAVE ONE HERE.
THE FIGHT IS NOT OVER BUT IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO SAY THAT RICHARD
SPENCER AND THE MESSAGE OF HATE HAVE ONE WHEN THERE ARE SO MANY
POSITIVE VOICES OUT THERE WHO SEEM TO AND THIS IS AS OF AN
HOUR AGO WHO SEEM TO HAVE KEPT IT MELLOW AND SPREAD A MESSAGE
OF LOVE AND TOLD THE NON-SEASON THERE NOT WELCOME THERE.
YEAH, AND I THINK THAT'S REALLY PROFOUND AND VERY
IMPORTANT AND JUST AGAIN, YOU HAVE THE FREEDOM TO STAND ON A
SOAPBOX WHEREVER YOU WANT AND SAY WHAT YOU WANT IN THIS
COUNTRY AND I STAND FIRMLY BEHIND FREEDOM OF SPEECH
AND I WILL PROTECT THAT RIGHT EVEN IF I DON'T AGREE WITH YOU.
THAT SAID, WE DON'T HAVE TO LISTEN TO YOU OR PAY FOR IT.
THE UNIVERSITIES NEED TO CONSIDER SOME SORT OF
LOGISTICAL SOLUTION TO FUNDING THESE KINDS OF FORUMS.
I KNOW HE HAD TO PAY TO RENT THE SPACE.
SHOULD THAT COST BE INCLUSIVE OF THE ADDITIONAL SECURITY
THAT YOU REQUIRE BECAUSE YOU ARE THIS VOLATILE PUBLIC IDENTITY.
YOU NEED TO FIT THE BILL OR FOOT THE BILL FOR THE ADDED SECURITY
AND ALL THE MEASURES THAT WE NEED TO PROVIDE BECAUSE
YOU'VE DECIDED THAT THIS IS THE SPACE THAT YOU WANT THE
KIND OF PRESENT YOUR IDEAS AND.
THAT'S A REALLY GOOD POINT AS WELL.
THE GIRL WHO EMAILED ME AS A STUDENT THERE SAID LOOK, I
AM PAYING FOR A SERVICE PRESUMABLY.
I'M PAYING FOR AN EDUCATION AND I'M ALSO PAYING TO HAVE
THIS PERSON SPEW HATEFUL RHETORIC.
THERE'S A LOT OF TALK ABOUT SAFE SPACES IN AMERICA
BECAUSE SAFE SPACES JUST A TERM PEOPLE CAN USE IT DIFFERENTLY
AND I THINK A UNIVERSITY SHOULD BE A SAFE SPACE FOR YOUR BODY.
HE SHOULD YOU SHOULD BE SAFE THERE.
IS SHOULDN'T BE A SAFE SPACE NOT FROM IDEAS BUT A SAFE SPACE
FOR THE EXCHANGE OF IDEAS.
SO WHEN IT COMES TO HAVING RICHARD SPENCER THERE, I'M
FINE WITH HIM GOING AND SPEAKING.
BUT IT IS SUCH A WEIRD DYNAMIC THAT THE PRESIDENT OF THE
UNIVERSITY CAN NOW SAY HE IS IN CHARGE OF SO MUCH BECAUSE
HE ESSENTIALLY JUST PAID TO RENT THE SPACE OUT.
HE PAID TO RENT THE SPACE OUT AND THEN HE CHOSES PRESS SO
IF HE IS CHOOSING WHICH PEOPLE ARE ALLOWED IN TO COVER IT,
WOULDN'T YOU SAY THAT SORT OF A SAFE SPACE?
ABSOLUTELY TOP OF THE OTHER THING IS PART OF HIS
STRATEGY IS TO HAVE THIS DISCUSSION SPECIFICALLY.
I AM PERFECTLY FINE HAVING THIS DISCUSSION BECAUSE IDEAS ARE
BETTER THAN HIS BUT HE WANTS TO HAVE THAT DISCUSSION OF EVERYONE
IS MAD THAT THIS ISN'T GETTING COVERED RIGHTS AND THEY
DON'T WANT ME HERE, THEY ARE CLASSIFYING ME THE SAME WAY
THE HURRICANE.
OTHER THINGS THAT ARE PART OF HIS STRATEGY IS HIS THINKING IS
CALLED THE NATIONAL POLICY INSTITUTE WHICH IS SO
INTELLECTUALLY DISHONEST AND FRIGHTENINGLY BENIGN STANDING.
BUT THAT'S A STICK.
HE JUST CHANGES THE NAME.
HE CHANGED THE NAZI MOVEMENT TO THE ALTAR RIGHT.
THAT IS THIS THING, JUST REBRANDING.
HE'S A MARKETER.
HE'S AVOIDING THE COMMON PITFALLS OF REGULAR AVERAGE
GARDEN VARIETY TRADITIONAL WHITE SUPREMACY WHICH IS HIMSELF
PERSONALLY WEARING SWASTIKAS AND THERE'S ONE INTERVIEW THAT I
READ ABOUT A GUY, I THINK WE ALL SAW THIS WHICH IS THERE'S A GUY
WHO'S A MORE NOT SEE TYPE WHITE SUPREMACIST TO SAID, HE DOESN'T
GO AS FAR AS I WANT, HE DOESN'T TALK ABOUT THAT SCIENTIST OWNED
MEDIA AS MUCH AND HIS GROUP HAS ISSUED IN ADVANCE OF EVENTS
GUIDELINES FOR HOW TO DRESS NICE SO PEOPLE CALL US DAPPER.
THEY ARE TRYING TO EXPAND THE IDEA OF THE FRAMEWORK FOR
WHAT IT MEANS TO PRESENT AS A WHITE SUPREMACIST.
TO AGAIN KIND OF REDUCE THE STIGMA OF THESE HISTORICAL
DEPICTIONS THAT WE HAVE OF WHITE SUPREMACISTS BUT THEN YOU
WALK DOWN MARCHING HOLLERING BLOOD AND SOIL WITH TORCHES.
YOU ARE CALLING ON THOSE PAST GHOST SO I THINK THERE IS A
WAY IN WHICH THEY ARE TRYING TO REBRAND AND THERE EVEN
BEING COVERED IN THAT WAY.
I REMEMBER RICHARD SPENCER BEING CAST AS SOMEBODY WHO IS
FASHION FORWARD AND IT WAS LIKE OKAY, BUT HIS IDEAS ARE
BACKWARD SO WHERE ARE WE AND WHY ARE WE DOING THIS?
@OF QUESTIONS.
A LOT OF NUANCE I THINK WITH THIS MOVEMENT AND I THINK IT IS
INTERESTING THAT THIS IS HAPPENING ALONGSIDE THE RECENT
DECLARATION THAT BLACK IDENTITY EXTREMISTS ARE NOW THE NUMBER
ONE NATIONAL TERRORIST THREAT, RIGHT BUT THIS IS THE GROUP
WHERE WE'VE GOT A CALL A STATE OF EMERGENCY.
EXACTLY, SO IT'S LIKE WHO IS REALLY THE DOMESTICS
SECURITY THREAT?