Texas A&M: Silent protesters prepare for Richard Spencer speech Tuesday

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Silent protesters prepare for Richard Spencer speech Tuesday

Posted: Sunday, December 4, 2016 9:17 pm | Updated: 9:31 am, Mon Dec 5, 2016.

By Jamin Goecker

Richard Spencer, member of the white nationalist “alt-right” movement, is scheduled to speak about the political impact of the alt-right on campus Tuesday night, and the event has triggered reactions from students and administrators across campus.
....

Upon hearing about Spencer’s event, Nick Meindl, international affairs graduate student, launched into organizing a silent protest of the event in Rudder Plaza scheduled for 4 p.m. Tuesday. Since starting a Facebook group on Nov. 22 titled “Silent Protest – Richard Spencer at Texas A&M,” Meindl has gained support from hundreds of students and organizations both on and off campus.

“We want to show all these groups are united together in this common goal and they are not alone and they are supported by the whole of the university from a wide range of people,” Meindle said.
....

The Silent Protest will begin at 4 p.m. in Rudder Plaza. More details can be found on its Facebook page. Aggies United will begin at 6 p.m. in Kyle Field. Spencer’s speech will begin at 7 p.m. in MSC room 2300 D&E.

[TexasTowelie]

1. Thanks for the reminder.

I'll check the The Battalion (A&M newspaper) and The Eagle (Bryan/College Station) for coverage tomorrow night.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

2. Texas A&M Extremely Concerned About White Nationalist Richard Spencer On Campus, Plans Counter Event

Texas A&M ‘Extremely’ Concerned About White Nationalist Richard Spencer On Campus, Plans Counter Event

According to the university, they have organized Aggies United, an event to support the students who want to talk about the values that they stand for in direct opposition to those of Richard Spencer’s.

Rebecca Fogel, Texas Standard | Posted on December 5, 2016, 5:18 PM (Last Updated: December 5, 2016, 6:07 PM)

“Yes, it is of extreme concern to those of us who are on the campus as well as to Aggies everywhere that this person who spews poison, basically, about races and about other religions is on our campus”, says Senior Vice President Chief Marketing and Communications Officer for Texas A&M University, Amy Smith.
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“We looked at a variety of different options for this”, Smith explains. “We are a state-supported school and they have free speech as do we, so we are using Aggies United which is Tuesday night at 6 pm and open to the public.” ... Smith refers to a counter event that the university has organized as a response to Spencer’s presence on campus: “Aggies United is an opportunity for us to come together as a campus and we have it open as well to the surrounding community to tell our story of who we are as a united front, as an active unity committed to the success of each other.”

Spencer’s event was “through no invitation from us”, says the VP. “We are a public university, as you know, and we have private rooms that are available… and the administration was made aware that this person quietly booked the room, which I think is their m.o. that they are doing throughout the nation, where you have someone who would quietly book a room and then invite the speaker and that is indeed what happened.”

Hence, the idea of Aggies United: “We were planning on a big end the semester party which we annually have and kind of a holiday party before students head off, and we pulled our money instead to support the students who wanted to pull together an event for each other that would talk about the things and the core values that they stand for that are in direct opposition to the speaker that is coming on campus”, Smith says.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

3. Non-university recognized student 'alt-right' organization plans counter protest

Non-university recognized student 'alt-right' organization plans counter protest

Posted: Sunday, December 4, 2016 9:22 pm | Updated: 9:30 am, Mon Dec 5, 2016.

By Brad Morse

On Dec. 6, Richard Spencer, a white nationalist known for coining the term “alt-right,” will be speaking on A&M’s campus. The speech has been the subject of much controversy, and several protests are planned to take place during his speech. Among them will be a counter protest organized by a burgeoning student “alt-right” group.

The new “alt-right” group, called “European Aggies Alliance,” has formed within the last month, however, spokesperson for the university and senior vice president and chief marketing and communications officer Amy Smith said they are not a university-recognized group. They will be staging a counter protest from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Dec. 6 at Rudder Plaza, with a short break to attend the speech.

“While my primary goal is to attend the speech, I want to show people that Mr. Spencer is supported coming to campus,” an anonymous student, who identified himself as a member of the European Aggies Alliance and a member of the “alt-right,” said.

[Paladin]

4. Who arranged for, and who approved, Spencer's A&M appearance?

Somebody needs a real ass-kicking over this. Spencer's on-campus appearance amounts to pissing on the graves of those A&M alums who died fighting Nazis in WWII. If nothing else, why wasn't an off-campus forum somewhere in College Station arranged? Disgusting.

Edited to add: "European Aggies Alliance" my orange-and-white UT Austin ass! Shame on you, A&M.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

5. When Richard Spencer and the other neo-Nazis had their meeting at Maggiano's in DC

last month, they registered as the "Griffin family reunion."

‘Let’s party like it’s 1933’: Inside the alt-right world of Richard Spencer

Don't expect these grassmoles to crawl out from under their rocks and make their presence known ahead of time. That would require courage.

BTW, would you care to bet that there's no "European Longhorn Alliance" at UT?

Full disclosure: I did not go to either school.

[TexasTowelie]

6. My understanding is that any group can arrange to rent

the facilities at Texas A&M and there is no legal recourse that the university can take since they would likely be sued for discrimination.

[Paladin]

7. So the Jewish and racial minority students at A&M are just shit out of luck, I guess.

Trump World is going to take some getting used to.