--- description: White nationalists and protestors clashed just outside Michigan State University ahead of a speech by white nationalist Richard Spencer title: Fights Erupt in Michigan Ahead of Speech by Richard Spencer image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt63b4df97abd62785/698929c1db298779e125efaf/richard-spencer-michigan-state-university.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [U.S.](/section/us/) ## U.S. Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Michigan](/tag/michigan/) ## Michigan Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Fights Erupt in Michigan Ahead of a Scheduled Speech by White Nationalist Richard Spencer by [Aric Jenkins](/author/aric-jenkins/) ## Aric Jenkins Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Mar 5, 2018 11:35 PM CUT  Demonstrators at Michigan State University protest a speech by white nationalist Richard Spencer, who popularized the term 'alt-right', on March 5, 2018 in East Lansing, Michigan. Spencer was granted permission to speak after suing the university which is currently on spring break. Demonstrators at Michigan State University protest a speech by white nationalist Richard Spencer, who popularized the term 'alt-right', on March 5, 2018 in East Lansing, Michigan. Spencer was granted permission to speak after suing the university which is currently on spring break.Scott Olson—Getty Images by [Aric Jenkins](/author/aric-jenkins/) ## Aric Jenkins Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Mar 5, 2018 11:35 PM CUT White nationalists and protestors clashed Monday just outside Michigan State University ahead of a speech by prominent white nationalist [Richard Spencer.](http://time.com/5093605/substitute-teacher-white-nationalist/ "undefined") Hundreds of protestors had gathered on a road leading into the campus when they were met by several dozens supporters of Spencer. Fights broke out, resulting in at least six arrests, [according to Reuters.](https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-protests/fights-erupt-ahead-of-white-nationalists-speech-in-michigan-idUSKBN1GH36E "undefined") Armored police vehicles and officers wearing riot gear were present and promptly broke up the brawls before handcuffing half a dozen of the participants, the outlet reported. Police then formed a blockade to prevent further fights from erupting. Footage of the incident was captured on video and posted on social websites like Twitter. > [](https://twitter.com/jonathanoosting/status/970788293360185349) Spencer’s whereabouts at the time of the altercation were not immediately known, and it remains unclear if his speech will go ahead as planned. Officials at Michigan State did not immediately respond to a request for comment. “These people are scum,” David Sherman, a 25-year-old who was there protesting Spencer’s speech, told Reuters. “We chased them away. This is our free speech being exercised.” Spencer is a well-known white nationalist whose views and speeches have drawn considerable outrage before. The [Souther Poverty Law Center](https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/extremist-files/individual/richard-bertrand-spencer-0 "undefined") identifies him as “one of the country’s most successful young white nationalist leaders — a suit-and-tie version of the white supremacists of old, a kind of professional racist in khakis.” ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5186957/richard-spencer-michigan-state-university/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5186957/richard-spencer-michigan-state-university/"},"headline":"Fights Erupt in Michigan Ahead of a Scheduled Speech by White Nationalist Richard Spencer","datePublished":"2018-03-05T23:35:53.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-23T19:32:24.070Z","description":"The incident was captured on video","url":"https://time.com/5186957/richard-spencer-michigan-state-university/","keywords":["Michigan","onetime"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt63b4df97abd62785/698929c1db298779e125efaf/richard-spencer-michigan-state-university.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Aric Jenkins","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/aric-jenkins/"}],"articleSection":"U.S.","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt63b4df97abd62785/698929c1db298779e125efaf/richard-spencer-michigan-state-university.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Activists Protest Alt Right Leader Richard Spencer's MSU Appearance","caption":"Activists Protest Alt Right Leader Richard Spencer's MSU Appearance","creditText":"Scott Olson—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/us/","name":"U.S."}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/michigan/","name":"Michigan"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5186957/richard-spencer-michigan-state-university/","name":"Fights Erupt in Michigan Ahead of a Scheduled Speech by White Nationalist Richard Spencer"}}]}] ```