Clashes Erupt As White Nationalist Richard Spencer Speaks At Auburn
At least three people were arrested after clashes erupted during a protest against an appearance by white U.S. nationalist Richard Spencer at Alabama’s Auburn University late on Tuesday, hours after a judge ordered the school to let him give a speech, media reported.
Hundreds of demonstrators gathered outside the university’s Foy Hall, watched by police with dogs, as Spencer’s supporters joined a packed crowd inside the auditorium, CNN and other outlets said.
We’re covering protests at Auburn. The protests have already resulted in violent encounters. #RichardSpenceratAU ?: @MBishopPhotos pic.twitter.com/XYXAQTeO2S
— The Auburn Plainsman (@TheAUPlainsman) April 18, 2017
Video footage of the protest posted on AL.com showed a man with blood on his face lying on the ground outside the hall in handcuffs before he was led away by police. A woman was also seen being taken away in cuffs during the tense, but largely peaceful rally.
Spencer hailed the judge’s decision to allow his speech, telling his audience: “We won a major victory for the alt-right,” according to AL.com.
Spencer rose from relative obscurity in the days after President Donald Trump’s Nov. 8 election victory. Auburn University officials had banned Spencer’s appearance, citing safety concerns.—Reuters
A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.
At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse..
Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO