The University of Virginia on Friday imposed a four-year ban from campus on Richard Spencer and nine other people who participated in a white supremacist march on the school's grounds last year.
Spencer, a graduate of the school, led the torchlight procession of 150 to 200 marchers chanting "Our blood, our soil" and "Jews will not replace us!" through campus on Aug. 11, 2017. The march culminated with participants surrounding and attacking a much smaller group of counterprotesters who had circled a statue of Thomas Jefferson, the university's founder.
The following day, Spencer and the others took part in the white supremacist Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville that led to violent clashes and the death of counterprotester Heather Heyer, who was run over by a car that plowed into a crowd.
The university said it was banning Spencer because of his role in organizing the torchlight march and for giving a speech at the statue "in which he took credit for 'occupying space' and 'defeating' counter protestors that evening."
Four of the men banned Friday were arrested by federal agents earlier this month and charged with violating federal laws against rioting for their actions at the Unite the Right rally.
"The trespass warnings issued today reflect our commitment to ensuring the safety of our community while upholding the principles of freedom of speech and assembly," university President Jim Ryan said in a statement.
Spencer, in a written response to a request for comment, said: "Ideas have no jurisdiction and ultimately can't be censored. That said, I have no immediate plans to engage in activism on campus, at U-Va. or anywhere."
The university announcement of the no-trespass orders followed a year-long investigation by the university Police Department in coordination with state and federal law enforcement agencies that identified the 10 individuals as "either committing or conspiring with others to carry out acts of violence or other conduct that directly threatened the health and safety of members of the community and other people on Grounds," Assistant Vice President and Chief of Police Tommye S. Sutton said in a statement.
"We have drawn a distinction between free speech and conduct that is aimed to intimidate others and promote violence. Such conduct and intimidation will not be tolerated," the statement said.
A Section on 10/27/2018