Fights broke out between white supremacists and protesters Monday as anti-fascist activists, students and community members converged in and around Michigan State University to counter a speech by white nationalist Richard Spencer.

Hours before the speech began, police blocked access to the venue as protesters, including some masked antifascists, gathered outside and hundreds marched toward the venue shouting, "Nazis go home!"

As some of Spencer's supporters and people planning to attend the speech arrived on campus, masked protesters shouted obscenities at white supremacists and at police. A group of white nationalists marching down the road toward the speech venue - Pavilion for Agriculture and Livestock Education - were blocked by protesters. Shouts turned to punches thrown at protesters, but the group wasforced by protesters away from the pavilion where Spencer later spoke.

More law enforcement officers arrived, lining both sides of the road leading into the venue, snapping cuffs on people and restoring calm.

But as others arrived to attend the speech, which was delayed past its planned 4:30 p.m. start time, a mob of protesters swarmed around them. A circle of law enforcement officers protected those wishing to go in, but two were pushed to the ground. Another man wanting to attend the event was pelted with sticks, dirt and cans by protesters.

Two were blocked from entering, despite the police escort. They bowed as they retreated, to jeers from the crowd.

The Detroit Free Press showed video of protesters screaming at police to a steady drumbeat, one kicking the bicycle of an officer, screaming, "F-ing Nazi cops!"

Capt. Doug Monette, a spokesman for the MSU police department, said two dozen arrests were made, ranging from misdemeanors to felonies. He said there were some weapons charges, as well as charges of hindering and obstructing, but that it was too soon to confirm individual people involved.

"What happened outside was really worrisome and heinous," Spencer said Monday evening. "That was an attempt to use violence to prevent people from attending a speech that was peaceful."

He said more than 150 tickets had been distributed, but many were not able to get through the chaos outside. "In terms of suppressing attendance, they really achieved that."

But he was able to deliver a speech, albeit curtailed, he said, and there was a good question-and-answer session. Samantha Turner, a Michigan State sophomore from Detroit who attended the protest with her parents, said, "I hope to send the message that we're just not going to do whatever they want and step all over us. I feel like showing a presence out here today lets them know that we do indeed care."

Omar Karim, an MSU student and member of the local antifascist group, Solidarity & Defense, said he's proud of the protesters. "These are my friends and family and co-workers, my brothers and sisters, people I get coffee with. These are people who I walk my dog with. This is my community. And my community in here in our home, representing our home, fighting against fascist ideology."

Spencer's National Policy Institute has sought to hold events on college campuses across the country. But several university presidents rejected such requests after he led a torchlight march of people shouting slurs at the University of Virginia in August. The next day, at a rally in Charlottesville, violent clashes with counterprotesters broke out, leaving one dead and dozens injured.

Days later, MSU officials denied Spencer's request to speak at the public university, citing concerns about safety. But in January, after settling a lawsuit brought by a supporter, the school agreed to allow an event on campus. "Michigan State is wholly dedicated to freedom of speech, not just as a public institution, but as an institution of higher education, " university officials explained in a public statement in January. "Here, ideas - not people - are meant to clash and to be evaluated based on their merits."

Spencer's speech comes at a time when tensions are raw over issues of race and politics and national identity, over freedom of speech and the cultural leanings of academia. In the days before Spencer spoke at the University of Florida, the governor declared a state of emergency. At MSU, Spencer arrived on a campus in turmoil over a sexual abuse scandal that forced the ouster of the university's longtime president and sparked numerous investigations and lawsuits.

On Monday morning, Spencer said it is "very, very sad," that they have to sue, or threaten to sue, universities simply for the right to engage in debate in a public forum. "The obstacles just keep rising - it's very difficult to continue," he said. "But we have to . . . as opposition mounts, we know that we're making more and more of an impact."

He said he knew antifascists would be there. "They present a major problem for police."

The MSU campus is on spring break this week, which is not a coincidence. The timing and the venue of the speech were chosen to minimize the risk of violence and disruption to campus, according to university officials.

The Pavilion for Agriculture is a small arena well south of the campus's developed core. Beyond it is farmland used primarily for research.

Still, protesters gathered in the bright but chilly air, a coalition of students, faculty and residents called Stop Spencer at MSU, to march on the pavilion.

Josh Lown, a protest organizer and graduate student at Michigan State, said midday Monday that they were hoping to avoid violence while disrupting Spencer's appearance as much as possible. He said they want to "make Richard Spencer and his motley crew know that they're not welcome here. We're a very loving and diverse community, and we don't want this speech to turn into normalcy."

The group wrote on social media that they must "defend against racist and fascist attacks on every campus and in every community" and "oppose the fascists, the racists, and the university administration, the cops and ICE and the government who are complicit in these attacks and the enemies of our communities."

They had posted an image on social media playing off the university's "Spartans will. . ." campaign, showing a still from a video of a man punching Spencer, with a Spartan helmet imposed on the image.

Well north of the pavilion, a broad coalition of organizations including the city of East Lansing, the undergraduate and graduate student governments, MSU's College Democrats, College Republicans, the local chapter of Black Lives Matter, and an interfaith clergy group are collaborating on a full day of activities in an effort to ignore Spencer.

Ashley Fuente, president of the Council of Graduate Students, will first spend two hours with about 30 volunteers, packing food for Meals on Wheels. "I think the way the community has come together has been absolutely incredible," Fuente said of the Spartan Day of Love & Solidarity.

It was important to unite both the university and the larger community for this, said Aaron Stephens, an MSU senior who is a member of the East Lansing City Council. He said that having all the major political groups on campus - Democrats, Republicans and libertarians - join together signals that "If you believe in white supremacy, you don't disagree with me politically, you disagree with me morally. Even if we disagree on issues, we agree everyone is equal and we deserve to be treated as such."

The student government is also sponsoring a free screening of "Black Panther" later in the evening, and bought out a 270-seat theater to accommodate the attendees.

At the All Saints Episcopal Church north of campus, the Rev. Kit Carson, the church's rector, admitted she's "a little bit overwhelmed" by the magnitude of the response to the celebration of diversity they plan to host Monday afternoon: More than 1,000 people RSVP'd online for the fair.

"This is an opportunity to bring the community together, reaffirm our shared values of tolerance, love and diversity and really try to ignore what's going on at the pavilion as much as we can," Carson said.

"Absolutely people need to say hate is bad and probably need to say it to his face. That's not our role here today," Carson said. "The only thing that concerns me about the antifascists and the counterprotesters is that sometimes that devolves into hate, too, when the two groups get face-to-face. When that happens, then basically you've bought into Spencer's narrative."

Spokesmen for the university deferred questions to police and to the National Policy Institute, and sent a link to university statements from January.

On Friday, MSU's interim president, John Engler, addressed the issue in an email to the community: "Nobody affiliated with Michigan State invited this small, hateful group, and I doubt they'll find support. The remarkable accomplishments of our diverse community of scholars expose the fraudulence of their racist rhetoric every day.

"But they come here hoping to gain energy by provoking reaction to their taunts," Engler continued. "If we take the bait - if we return their hate - it only supports the preposterous claims to victimhood that sustain their ideology. They court headlines. They crave confrontation, because without it, their message of hate falls on deaf ears." He called on people to signal their opposition by ignoring the event and avoiding the area.

Svrluga reported from Washington.</s>Fight breaks out ahead of Michigan speech by white nationalist Richard Spencer

Members of the alt-right including members of the Traditionalist Workers Party fight with protesters outside of a Richard Spencer speech on the campus of Michigan State University in East Lansing, Michigan March 5, 2018. — Reuters picMICHIGAN, March 6 — At least half a dozen people were arrested yesterday after supporters of Richard Spencer clashed with protesters outside a Michigan college campus where the avowed white nationalist was scheduled to speak.

Fights broke out on a road leading to Michigan State University in East Lansing as several dozen backers of Spencer walked up a road leading to the campus, where several hundred demonstrators had gathered, surrounding an armored police vehicle.

Police quickly stepped in to break up the altercation, handcuffing six or seven people.

It was not immediately clear if Spencer was already on the campus or if the speech would go forward as planned.

The Southern Poverty Law Centre, which monitors US hate groups, lists Spencer as “a radical white separatist whose goal is the establishment of a white ethno-state in North America.”

An outspoken supporter of Trump during the 2016 campaign, Spencer rose from relative obscurity after widely circulated videos showed some Trump supporters giving Nazi-style salutes to Spencer during a gathering in Washington to celebrate the Republican candidate’s win. Trump condemned the meeting.

In October, protests broke out as Spencer gave a speech at the University of Florida in Gainsville.

Two months earlier, a 20-year-old man said by law enforcement to harbour Nazi sympathies drove his car into a crowd of counterprotesters after white supremacist rallies in Charlottesville, Virginia, killing a 32-year-old woman. — Reuters</s>March 5 (UPI) -- Multiple people were arrested after fighting broke out during protests of white nationalist Richard Spencer's appearance at Michigan State University Monday.

MSU Police Capt. Doug Monette confirmed several arrests were made but didn't provide a total number, Michigan Live reported.

Protesters shouted "Nazis go home" as they confronted a group of Spencer's supporters who arrived at the university's Pavilion for Agriculture and Livestock Education.

About 20 Spencer supporters attempted to walk directly through the crowd, inciting physical confrontations after both groups shouted obscenities at each other, Detroit Free Press reported. Bottles and rocks were also thrown during the skirmishes.

At least 100 police officers including Michigan State Police were on the scene in riot gear and swarmed the crowd to arrest both protesters and Spencer's supporters.

Police had blocked off the venue, which is away from the university's main campus, in hopes of avoiding such fighting.

The event's start was ultimately delayed from 4:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. and some Spencer supporters chose not to enter the venue, which was surrounded by protesters.

"If you aren't getting protested, you aren't doing anything that matters," Spencer said during the speech.

The university originally planned to charge Spencer's National Policy Institute group $2,000 to set aside a room on campus for the speech, but decided to deny the group the opportunity to speak citing safety concerns.

Spencer's group sued and both sides agreed to let Spencer speak inside the pavilion after being ordered to mediation by a federal judge.

The event was ticketed and Spencer was given control over who is allowed in, denying several local media organizations from purchasing tickets.</s>A member of the Traditionalist Workers Party does a salute outside of a Richard Spencer speech on the campus of Michigan State University in East Lansing, Michigan, U.S., March 5, 2018

At least half a dozen people were arrested on Monday after supporters of Richard Spencer clashed with protesters outside a Michigan college campus where the avowed white nationalist was scheduled to speak.

Fights broke out on a road leading to Michigan State University in East Lansing as several dozen backers of Spencer walked up a road leading to the campus, where several hundred demonstrators had gathered, surrounding an armored police vehicle.

Police quickly stepped in to break up the altercation, handcuffing six or seven people.

Spencer's speech at the university went ahead, but not before a protest erupted as about 40 backers of Spencer were met by about 500 demonstrators.

The Southern Poverty Law Center, which monitors U.S. hate groups, lists Spencer as “a radical white separatist whose goal is the establishment of a white ethno-state in North America.”

An outspoken supporter of Trump during the 2016 campaign, Spencer rose from relative obscurity after widely circulated videos showed some Trump supporters giving Nazi-style salutes to Spencer during a gathering in Washington to celebrate the Republican candidate’s win. Trump condemned the meeting.

In October, protests broke out as Spencer gave a speech at the University of Florida in Gainsville.

Two months earlier, a 20-year-old man said by law enforcement to harbor Nazi sympathies drove his car into a crowd of counterprotesters after white supremacist rallies in Charlottesville, Virginia, killing a 32-year-old woman.</s>Hundreds of protesters took to the streets in East Lansing, Michigan, on Monday to protest a speech by white nationalist Richard Spencer at Michigan State University (MSU), where students are currently on spring break for the week. Spencer typically espouses anti-Semitic and anti-immigrant beliefs at his events.

The Detroit Free Press reports there is a heavy police presence near campus with nearly 100 officers at the scene wearing riot gear. Police have reportedly blocked off the area close to the speaking venue.

At least two of the protesters were arrested hours before Spencer was scheduled to speak.

"There's nothing Richard Spencer stands for that is good," Michael Treeman, 21, of Detroit, told the Detroit Free Press. "He doesn't deserve speaking time anywhere. We want to let him know there's more people out here who hate what he stands for than who are going to be inside listening."

In August 2017, Spencer was scheduled to speak at a rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, that ultimately ended violently when a man struck and killed a protester with his car.

One resident and MSU graduate said he attended Monday's protest to voice his concern over the appearance.

"I don't want to shut the event down, but I want people attending the event and Richard Spencer to know that there are people who are willing to fight for our country and what our country stands for -- which is equality, diversity and democracy," he told CBS Detroit.

Spencer's 2018 college tour had nearly fallen apart after several colleges denied to host his events over safety expenses or concerns that violence would break out. Spencer planned to speak at the University of Cincinnati this week but it fell through after the school demanded an $11,000 security fee, Spencer's attorney told The Associated Press.</s>Supporters and opponents of white nationalist Richard Spencer clashed ahead of his speech at Michigan State University. Fights broke out and police made half a dozen arrests.

Several hundred protesters marched to the university in the town of East Lansing on Monday in an attempt to stop the National Policy Institute (NPI) president from speaking there. About 100 riot police and two armored vehicles were deployed to the campus.

Spencer was set to speak at an event organized by the NPI scheduled for 4:30 pm. Michigan State University said earlier that it was merely renting the venue to the think-tank.

Fighting broke out about when a few dozen Spencer supporters walked up the road to the site. Police intervened and arrested six or seven people, Reuters reported. The Detroit Free Press said rocks and bottles were thrown. It was unclear which side the detainees were on, or whether Spencer’s appearance would proceed.

"These people are scum. We chased them away. This is our free speech being exercised," said David Sherman, 25, who drove from Indianapolis to protest against the event.

The Southern Poverty Law Center classifies Spencer as “a radical white separatist whose goal is the establishment of a white ethno-state in North America.”

Spencer and former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke were among the speakers at last August’s ‘Unite the Right’ March in Charlottesville, Virginia, which drew around 500 attendees in the largest far-right event in recent US history. Anti-fascist counter-protester Heather Heyer was killed and 19 others were injured when suspected Nazi sympathiser James Alex Fields drove his car into a crowd following the aborted rally.

In October, the Polish Foreign Ministry denied Spencer entry to the country for independence day celebrations, which have been marked in recent years by marches by far-right groups.

“As a country that was one of the Nazis' biggest victims, we believe that the ideas promoted by Mr. Spencer and his followers could pose a threat to all those who hold dear the values of human rights and democracy,” the ministry said.

Also in October, Spencer faced protests when he spoke at the University of Florida in Gainesville.

If you like this story, share it with a friend!</s>EAST LANSING, Mich. — Protesters have clashed with police and supporters of white nationalist Richard Spencer during his visit to Michigan State University.

Police say at least a dozen people were arrested Monday. Michigan State allowed Spencer to appear, but the venue was an auditorium at a remote end of campus.

Students are on spring break. But hundreds of protesters turned out, shouting profanities at Spencer supporters and police. Officers formed lines outside the auditorium to try to keep the peace and protect people who had tickets as they entered the event. The officers wore helmets and clutched batons.

Spencer popularized the term “alt-right” to refer to a fringe movement that’s a mix of white nationalist and anti-Semitic beliefs.

Katie Kuhn of Lansing led some anti-Spencer chants. She says there’s too much “hate and fear.”</s>EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP/WXYZ) - An appearance at Michigan State University by white nationalist Richard Spencer during spring break has drawn large protests.

The deal signed in January said Spencer could appear on March 5. But he'll be at the livestock pavilion auditorium, away from the heart of campus.

Spencer ally Cameron Padgett had to pay $1,650 and come up with at least $2 million in liability insurance. MSU arranged for police.

The deal settled a lawsuit that was filed after MSU last summer cited public safety and refused to rent space. Padgett said the school was violating free speech rights.

Spencer popularized the term "alt-right" to refer to a fringe movement that's a mix of white nationalist, white supremacist, anti-Semitic and anti-immigration beliefs.

Under the deal, MSU is paying $27,400 for Padgett's legal fees.</s>EAST LANSING, Mich. – Protesters have clashed with police and supporters of white nationalist Richard Spencer during his visit to Michigan State University.

Police say at least a dozen people were arrested Monday. Michigan State allowed Spencer to appear, but the venue was an auditorium at a remote end of campus.

Students are on spring break. But hundreds of protesters turned out, shouting profanities at Spencer supporters and police. Officers formed lines outside the auditorium to try to keep the peace and protect people who had tickets as they entered the event. The officers wore helmets and clutched batons.

Spencer popularized the term “alt-right” to refer to a fringe movement that’s a mix of white nationalist and anti-Semitic beliefs.

Katie Kuhn of Lansing led some anti-Spencer chants. She says there’s too much “hate and fear.”

The Washington Times is switching its third-party commenting system from Disqus to Spot.IM. You will need to either create an account with Spot.im or if you wish to use your Disqus account look under the Conversation for the link "Have a Disqus Account?". Please read our The Washington Times is switching its third-party commenting system from Disqus to Spot.IM. You will need to either create an account with Spot.im or if you wish to use your Disqus account look under the Conversation for the link "Have a Disqus Account?". Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.</s>(ABC)– Hundreds of protesters descended on Michigan State University‘s campus during spring break to either decry or endorse white nationalist Richard Spencer‘s planned speech on Monday afternoon. Two dozen people were arrested as a result of the protests, police said.

According to MSU Police Capt. Doug Monette, a melee outside MSU’s Pavilion for Agriculture and Livestock Education led to some of the estimated 500 protesters assembling there being taken into custody and some could face misdemeanor or felony charges.

There were no injuries to any law enforcement personnel, he confirmed.

The ruckus delayed Spencer’s 4:30 p.m. speech by at least 30 minutes.

Footage of the skirmishes outside the pavilion showed police wearing riot gear and wielding wooden sticks met hundreds of vocal protesters.

Spencer, the 39-year-old firebrand leader of the “alternative-right” movement, billed the event on YouTube as one that would do more than just discuss alt-right ideas, but instead “talk about where we’re going and what we ultimately want.”

The alt-right has grown in the mainstream by attracting a following of young conservatives embracing “a white identity” and combating social justice and multiculturalism.

They have found a distinct opponent on the far left of the political spectrum with the rise of the anti-fascist or “antifa” movement.

Spencer has drawn a mix of support and scorn wherever he goes. Most notably he tagged along in Charlottesville last October to protest the city’s planned removal of a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee. Protests the day after Spencer’s nighttime march resulted in the death of one woman and over a dozen injuries when a car was intentionally driven into counterprotesters.

During Monday’s event, some protesters carried handwritten signs with Spencer’s first name shortened to read “Dick Spencer.”

Over two hours before the event was slated to begin, Monette had only counted around 150 protesters, and at that time said “everything has been peaceful on campus.”

To prep for any problems, the captain said campus police received “mutual aid” from other law enforcement agencies in Michigan.
Fighting breaks out between anti-fascist protesters and supporters of white nationalist Richard B. Spencer when he gives a speech at Michigan State University, before they are separated by police.