GAINESVILLE, Fla. (WTXL) - Thousands of students, resident and travelers gathered outside UF's Phillips Center on Thursday in protest of white nationalist Richard Spencer's scheduled speech.
Protestors arrived hours before Spencer was set to speak, toting signs like "Be a gator, not a hater" and "Smash Racism."
While the protests remained non-violent, many were outraged when they were turned away from the event.
The tickets were selectively distributed by the National Policy Institute.
"If they're forcing us to listen to it at the school, then we should be allowed to view it," Emily Moll asserted.
Not everyone was in protest of Spencer's speech, some defending his messages.
"I agree with Richard on most points," said Martin P., "He's culturally related to me, he's informed me about a lot of things, he's a smart guy--he's smarter than anyone here protesting against him so I'm definitely gonna side with him."
The protests continued outside of the center, thousands spilling into barricaded areas where law enforcement was standing watch.
Security was also on the roof tops monitoring the crowds below.
So far, there's been only one report of an arrest, one man being taken into custody for carrying a gun in a restricted area.
