As I write this, we are two days away from Richard’s Spencer’s visit to the University of Florida and the craziness that is bound to occur. Richard Spencer, an Alt-Right leader is giving a speech at the Curtis M. Phillips Center here at UF. However, he was not invited by the University or our beloved President, Dr. Kent Fuchs. Technically speaking, the Phillip’s Center is a third party venue open to the public and by refusing Richard Spencer’s appearance, the university would be subject to lawsuits in violation of his first amendment rights. It’s a complicated situation in which the university will end up spending around $500,000 tax payer dollars on security measures that it cant even bill to Spencer himself.

Classes and exams have been cancelled, bus routes suspended and students are scared. We fear that this will become Charlottesville 2.0 where riots ensue and people are in danger. President Fuchs has encouraged students to stay away from the venue and to protest from home, sharing our opinions far away from Spencer and his supporters. Governor Rick Scott has declared it a State of Emergency and I myself am staying inside my apartment all day.

I understand our first amendment and our right to freedom of speech. However, I disagree with hateful rhetoric. You have the right to speak your beliefs and share your opinions, but why do they have to be so hateful? In situations like this, the problem isn’t free speech itself, but rather what the speech consists of. I have spent these past few weeks referring to Richard Spencer as the Nazi he is, refusing to use the term “alt-right” which sounds a whole lot nicer than “Nazi”.

Richard Spencer is a white supremacist who is anti *non-European* immigration, which is wrong in the first place because Albania is in Europe and it’s a Muslim majority country, but that’s fine you know, he only supports white Europeans. White Europeans does not include 57% of Albania. White Europeans does include around 7% of France. White Europeans does not include billions around the world.

As someone who is an immigrant and therefore definitely not anti-immigration I understand why some people can be against it. It’s a hot topic issue that is definitely not just black and white. As beautiful as it would sound to say that being anti-immigration disregards the benefits immigrants have brought to the US, such as intellectual properties, efficient workforces, and countless cultures, in saying, that I disregard the most important things about immigrants. Immigrants aren’t geniuses, workers, and cultures to appreciate, immigrants are people. Discriminating against other people, regardless of the color of their skin, the God they choose to believe in, or the language they speak is in it’s simplest form, disgusting.

Richard Spencer is racist, believing that race is real (a topic for another day) and that “white” is the superior race, claiming “…. The notion that these people can be equal is not a scientific way to look at it.” If you cringed and tilted your head while reading that, you are one of many. He’s also said things like “This country does belong to white people, culturally, politically, socially, everything. We defined what America is,” disregarding the Natives that lived on these lands long before the Mayflower, long before Christopher Columbus, the black slaves that fought in the Revolutionary War only to suffer almost a century more of injustice, and the very word America, derived from Amerigo Vespucci, who though eventually dying in Seville, spent many years in what was later called the Americas, as an immigrant (although at that time they were called “explorers”).

I think it is safe to say that I disagree with Richard Spencer and believe that not only should he not speak at UF, but he shouldn’t speak at all. Not because he doesn’t have the right to, but because nothing good comes out of this hateful rhetoric. What is the point of thinking things so horrible and spreading them around? Does he find pleasure in igniting fear all over the country? Do strongly worded twitter @s provide him with his necessary nutrients for survival? Does he just love attention? I find it hard to wrap my head around how someone can even think this way, and how there can be so many that support him and his beliefs.

It is with a heavy heart that I accept the fact that it is too late to cancel his presentation here. Richard Spencer blackmailed the University of Florida with threats of lawsuits. Many will argue that riots and protests are not worth it and that all Richard Spencer wants is attention, we must agree to disagree with him and his repugnant hate. I can’t do that. I can agree to disagree with someone who prefers vanilla cake to chocolate cake (@ me tho) but I cannot agree to disagree with someone who views white Europeans to be superior enough to ignite hate and violence nationwide.

I use the word Nazi to describe him because that is the most hateful word I can think of. It is that word that led to the biggest tragedy in all of history, one that can never be denied or ignored. Hiroshi Motomura, a Professor of Law at UCLA once said “History does not repeat itself, but it often rhymes.” It is situations like these where I see the rhyme scheme.

I hope that no one gets hurt this week and I urge you all to follow President Fuch’s instructions and stay far away from the Phillips Center. Share your anti-Spencer opinions online where hundreds of thousands can read them and support you, don’t risk your safety so that a hundred people can see a poster.

And to Mr. Spencer, please change, realize that your “opinions” are wrong. They go against “culturally Christian” teachings of love and acceptance. They have crossed the line into “hateful” and “bigoted” territory and they have become dangerous.

Disclaimer: Whatever you do, do not blame UF or President Fuch's for allowing this. They had no choice. Like I said, the Phillip's Center is technically a third party venue and refusing to allow Spencer to speak would be a violation of the First Amendment.

I add to this article a few days after the events of Spencer's visit, somewhat relieved that the situation was not as dangerous or violent as it could've been. However, I am not a fan of the whole "punching Nazi's trend." If the message we are trying to share is one of love and respect, violence and punching people is not the way to do it. I know that punching things is therapeutic and that it must feel so good to punch someone that says such horrible things, but it does more harm than good.

What we, the good guys, want is for everyone to love and respect each other. The best way to do that is to educate, and spread love and respect, not spitting on people and punching Nazis. Yell at them, challenge their rhetoric, but don't act like beasts and animals.