Kayser Enneking denounces Richard Spencer; Keith Perry silent

Expect young men in white shirts and khakis, protests and about 500 law enforcement officers when Richard Spencer comes to Gainesville. What happens beyond that is unknown.

Senate District 8 challenger Kayser Enneking condemned alt-right personality Richard Spencer Monday ahead of his planned visit to Gainesville this week and called on all area leaders and elected officials, including incumbent Republican Sen. Keith Perry, to do the same.

Spencer, who coined the phrase “alt-right” through his website AlternativeRight.com, is coming to the Alachua County town Thursday to speak at the University of Florida’s Phillips Center for the Performing Arts.

The 39-year-old self-described white supremacist employs Nazi imagery and phrases in his advocacy for “peaceful ethnic cleansing” of the United States with the end goal of creating a “White Ethno-State” in North America – a neutered, newspeak way of saying he wants to force all non-white Americans out of the country to set up a whites-only nation.

“The America we know and love values every individual regardless of race, gender, orientation or socio-economic status. We are stronger when we work together for common goals. We are best when we celebrate our differences. We are greater when we recognize the contributions of all in the weaving of the fabric of America. Hateful, divisive, and violent rhetoric have no place in Gainesville, Florida, or our nation today,” said Enneking, who is running as a Democrat for the Alachua County-based seat.

The University of Florida physician and professor added that while she respects Spencer’s First Amendment right to express his political views, that “it is incumbent on our leaders to condemn heinous and hateful speech.”

She went on to single out Perry by name in the Monday press release.

“Speech that separates one American from another must be called out for what it is, shameful and despicable. I call upon all elected local officials, including my opponent Keith Perry, to condemn these views in the strongest possible terms and speak out against them. We cannot be indifferent to this hateful speech foisted upon our community. We must take a stand against it,” she said.

Florida Politics reached out to Perry’s district office in Gainesville for comment Monday, and also put in a call with his legislative assistant, but neither were prepared to offer a a response from the senator regarding Spencer’s Gainesville visit, nor were they willing to speak in his stead.

The Thursday speech got the attention of a different Republican, however.

Gov. Rick Scott announced Monday that he had approved a request by Alachua County Sheriff Sadie Darnell to activate Florida’s Mutual Aid Plan, which allows the state and Darnell to quickly coordinate resources from other state, county and municipal law enforcement agencies if the need arises.

“We live in a country where everyone has the right to voice their opinion, however, we have zero tolerance for violence and public safety is always our number one priority,” Scott said in a prepared statement. “I have been in constant contact with Sheriff Darnell who has requested this Executive Order to ensure that county and local law enforcement have every needed resource. This executive order is an additional step to ensure that the University of Florida and the entire community is prepared so everyone can stay safe.”

The University of Florida is cordoning off a large chunk of its campus Thursday beginning at 8 a.m. in preparation for attendees and protestors, including the parking lots and parking garages surrounding the venue.

Maguire Village and University Village South, two on-campus married and family housing units, are included within the restricted zone.

All those entering the designated areas will be required to pass through a metal detector, and those found with any items on an extensive list of contraband – ranging from cigarette lighters to water bottles – will not be allowed to enter the zone.

The University of Florida is reportedly spending around $500,000 to secure the area for the event. Spencer has paid UF $10,000 to rent the Phillips Center, with only about $4,000 of that money designated to cover security costs.

No cars will be allowed in or out of the area, a precaution likely designed to prevent a repeat of the events at the Charlottesville “Unite the Right” event in August, where a rally-goer aligned with the alt-right rammed his vehicle into a crowd of protesters, killing one person and injuring 19 others.