Richard Spencer speaking during an appearance at Michigan State University on Monday. Image by twitter

By Ari Feldman March 6, 2018

Police confront neo-Nazi supporters of Richard Spencer ahead of his speech at Michigan State University. Image by Getty

Richard Spencer’s appearance at Michigan State University led to a series of violent confrontation between his neo-Nazi supporters, protesters and riot police stationed at the event, the Washington Post reported.

Ahead of his speech, neo-Nazis and white supremacists marched outside the school, and volleys of insults and slurs against minority groups turned into violent assaults on protesters. Law enforcement lined the road to the venue where Spencer was to speak, detaining multiple supporters and protesters with zip ties.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis of the crisis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

Most of Spencer’s supporters were blocked from entering the MSU venue. (MSU is currently on spring break.) A reporter inside the speech reported seeing less than 50 people in attendance.

Richard Spencer speaking during an appearance at Michigan State University on Monday. Image by twitter

“What happened outside was really worrisome and heinous,” Spencer said. “That was an attempt to use violence to prevent people from attending a speech that was peaceful.”

Contact Ari Feldman at feldman@forward.com or on Twitter @aefeldman

A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you move on, I wanted to ask you to support the Forward’s award-winning journalism during our High Holiday Monthly Donor Drive.

This year, we have stood together in strength and sorrow. Our Forward team has worked around the clock to help you find clarity amid the chaos.

If you’ve turned to the Forward in the past 12 months to better understand the world around you, we hope you will support us with a gift now. Your support has a direct impact, giving us the resources we need to report from Israel and around the U.S., across college campuses, and wherever there is news of importance to American Jews.

Make a monthly or one-time gift and support Jewish journalism throughout 5785. The first six months of your monthly gift will be matched for twice the investment in independent Jewish journalism. 

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

$36 $500

$120 $180 Other amount