Tensions were high at the University of Florida, as the campus and the state prepared for the arrival for white nationalist, Richard Spencer. Spencer is an alt-right, white nationalist speaker who hosts firey rallies that spew hate and antisemitism. Florida Governor, Rick Scott, has declared a state of emergency in Alachua County and is requesting extra security presence on campus as he prepares for violent protests similar to the "Unite the Right" rally in Charlottesville, VA. Univerity's President, W. Kent Fuchs, is urging students to not attend Thursday's event saying "Do not provide Mr. Spencer and his followers the spotlight they are seeking," adding, "By shunning him and his followers, we will block his attempt for further visibility."
Counter protests began Wednesday on the University of Florida's campus and continued well after Spencer's appearance. Chants from protestors from both outside and inside the venue of which he was speaking mostly drowned out his speech, not that it was anything positive anyways.
And with the help of the extra police presence, while tensions remained high between protestors and white nationalists, the event overall remained at ease. The two violent instances that occurred were a protestor punching a literal Nazi (he was wearing swastikas on his t-shirt) and a group of white nationalists fired a single shot into a crowd of protestors. Thankfully, the group was taken into police custody and no one was injured.
But what stands out the most from this event is how thousands of University of Florida students were able to band together and stand up to racism and bigotry. Regardless of race, gender, or sexuality, UF students were able to unite in the hopes to take down a common enemy: a group that uses their differences to divide them.