Hundreds of FL Officers Prepare to Keep Peace During White Nationalist Speech

At least a hundred Florida state troopers were gathered outside the Phillips Center on the University of Florida campus Wednesday to walk through preparations for keeping the peace during Thursday's speech by white nationalist Richard Spencer.

Beginning Wednesday, a large number of police officers will be on the Gainesville campus. More than 500 law enforcement officers are expected there Thursday, University President W. Kent Fuchs said.

Spencer, who leads the National Policy Institute, was not invited by the university or its students, and UF leaders have rejected his message as hateful. But — after hearing from a lawyer representing Spencer and his supporters — university officials reluctantly acknowledged Spencer’s First Amendment right to speak at a campus venue they rent out, the Washington Post reports.