Students Protest White Nationalist Richard Spencer’s Speech at Texas A&M

Thousands of students at Texas A&M University, along with concerned citizens from around Texas, gathered to protest white nationalist Richard Spencer on Tuesday while he speaks at the school.

Spencer, who gained notoriety for holding a meeting of the so-called “alt-right” celebrating Donald Trump’s election with Nazi rhetoric, was invited not by the university itself, but a former student who lives in the area. The “alt-right” movement generally favors racist and white-supremacist beliefs. Representatives for the university said they denounced Spencer, but that they could not cancel the event, WFAA reports.

Students at the protest held up signs with slogans like “Aggies Against Hate!” and “White Men Against White Supremacy,” according to the Houston Chronicle.

Preston Wiginton, who invited Spencer, says he’s concerned about the status of whites in the U.S. and worries that they will become a minority and be ill-treated by the new society.

Local police, state and federal agencies were set to be on the scene to make sure the situation remained safe.

[WFAA]