America has a serious issue with excusing the deplorable and harmful rhetoric of the alt right as free speech. Yes of course(and unfortunately) hate speech is technically covered under the first amendment, but what about when such hate speech actively encourages the diminished rights of another group?
Everyone and their mother knows that Richard Spencer was to speak at Foy Auditorium at Auburn University this upcoming Tuesday. However, even after his appearance was canceled for the safety of the students, he is still insistent on coming and it also looks to be that he is bringing a Nazi militia with him. Not only is he bringing Nazis in riot gear into a small university town, he is making direct threats on social media and endorsing tweets that claim such things as "universities like that should be nuked." This isn't an issue of censorship, this is a dangerous and hateful man who has openly endorsed nazism before as well as the hope to cleanse America of those with non-European heritage forcing himself into a scared group of people.
Don't call those who opposed his appearance "snowflakes" we don't oppose him being here because he offends us, we oppose his presence here because it poses a direct threat to the safety of minority students such as Jews, Muslims, and all other minorities on Auburn's campus. There is a genuine threat towards members of these groups including me, how dare you tell us that someone's hateful rhetoric should be held above our rights to feel safe at our university.
Auburn did the right thing by canceling his appearance at the recommendation of the local police, there was a genuine threat posed to students either from him or from protests(which is a problematic narrative. Blame the Nazi, not the ones standing up to him.)but I digress..
Simply put. This is more than being about freedom of speech, this is about the normalization of hate speech and it being excused as free speech. He is militant, racist, and actively making threats towards students as a grown man, bringing likely armed Nazis with him for the show. This isn't free speech, this is a direct threat to students who should feel safe in the place we call home. Stop excusing hateful and harmful rhetorics as free speech, it only emboldens people like Richard Spencer or the racist white student union who just this past week places antisemitic conspiracy posters around campus during a Jewish holiday.
Let me remind you it was Spencer who led an actual "resistance" against a Jewish community in the small town of Whitefish Montana, attempting to purge them from the area using fear and force. It was so bad that extra security had to be called in to protect the Jewish citizens. This isn't an issue of disagreeing, this is an issue of keeping people safe from someone who shares the mindset of Adolf Hitler.
If you claim to be a part of the auburn family you should actively be defending your fellow students who feel a very tangible threat, don't excuse them as "snowflakes" because one day when someone comes to attack you, there will be nobody to defend you. It's 2017 for Pete's sake...If you are an apologist for Nazis and you think that they deserve to spew their hate to threatened young adults on a college campus then you are seriously misguided, there is no excuse for blatant threatening behavior and a rhetoric that encourages ethnic cleansing.
By the way happy Passover, we're still here after all this time whether you like it or not. We are proud and we will fight for our safety and respect as well as that of all marginalized groups.
