When Hurricane Irma was bearing down on Florida last month, Gov. Rick Scott declared a state of emergency. On Monday, he did the same thing in Alachua County, ahead of a speech by white nationalist Richard Spencer at the University of Florida in Gainesville.
“We live in a country where everyone has the right to voice their opinion, however, we have zero tolerance for violence and public safety is always our number one priority,” Scott said in a statement. “This executive order is an additional step to ensure that the University of Florida and the entire community is prepared so everyone can stay safe.”
“I find that the threat of a potential emergency is imminent,” Scott declared in his executive order, noting that Alachua County Sheriff Sadie Darnell had requested the state’s assistance. The order will make it easier for various agencies to coordinate a security plan for Thursday’s speech at the university.
The school had denied an earlier request from Spencer to speak in September, citing imminent threats against Gainesville and the university following the violence in Charlottesville, Va., on Aug. 12. Spencer was a headliner at the “Unite the Right” rally there that spurred clashes between white supremacists and protesters, leaving dozens injured. Heather Heyer, 32, was killed when a man drove his car into a group of protesters.
But state’s flagship university had to let Spencer speak on campus eventually. As a state entity, the administration explains in an extensive Q&A, “UF must allow the free expression of speech. We cannot prohibit groups or individuals from speaking in our public forums except for limited exceptions, which include safety and security.”
The university’s president, W. Kent Fuchs, urged students and staff to avoid the event.
“[D]o not provide Mr. Spencer and his followers the spotlight they are seeking,” he wrote. “By shunning him and his followers, we will block his attempt for further visibility.”
Although I don’t align with Spencer’s overall philosophy, the only “potential emergency” threat comes wholly from the rabid leftists who will certainly create the mayhem. What a sick country we live in.
As far as fear of a threat Mr. Scott? You should be saying-
The only fear we have is queers themselves. Right from FDR, kind of…