What does Spencer stand for?

In a recent op-ed in the CDT, Phil Edmunds excoriates Eric Barron for failing to explain why PSU is denying permission for Richard Spencer to speak on campus. Amazingly, Edmunds does this while avoiding any mention of what Spencer says or stands for. It is easy enough to find this out.

In a manifesto on Charlottesville on the website altright.com, Spencer writes: “Whites alone defined America as a European society and political order.” Other things he has said and done are in the public record: giving a “Nazi” salute while shouting “Hail Trump” and calling for “ethnic cleansing” (a euphemism for genocide) of non-white races.

The reasons for Penn State to deny a forum to Spencer are obvious. 1) Spencer is not owed a platform for his hatred in the name of free speech — if you want to know what he has to say, you can find it on the internet. 2) Spencer and the other thugs who invaded Charlottesville aren’t interested in speaking freely because they know they already can; they want to intimidate, recruit and fundraise. They want to demonstrate that they are now out in the open. 3) Spencer speaking at Penn State will provoke violence; this has been demonstrated time after time.

For Edmunds not to mention these things about Spencer shows that he doesn’t want his readers to know who Spencer is. He is either ignorant of Spencer’s views, in which case he has no business writing about him, or in agreement with them.

This story was originally published September 7, 2017 at 9:07 PM with the headline "What does Spencer stand for?."