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Gainesville mayor: Richard Spencer is a ‘terrorist leader’

by Rebecca Savransky - 10/19/17 2:49 PM ET

Gainesville, Fla., Mayor Lauren Po (D) called white nationalist Richard Spencer a “terrorist leader.”

“There’s no question that he is a terrorist leader and that his followers look to commit acts of terror to disrupt our community,” Poe said during an interview with HuffPost on Thursday.

“And we know that because they’ve told us that,” he continued. “These are not my impressions of what they might be doing, it’s clear they look to descend upon communities, harm people and then leave, and those are the acts of terrorists.”

{mosads}

Spencer is scheduled to give a speech Thursday at the University of Florida’s Gainesville campus.

Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R) has declared a state of emergency in Alachua County ahead of Spencer’s event, saying his speeches in the past have “sparked protests and counter-protests resulting in episodes of violence, civil unrest and multiple arrests.”

“I find that the threat of a potential emergency is imminent,” Scott said in a seven-page executive order.

The president of the university said Thursday that Spencer has a “legal right” to speak on the school’s campus and say “horrific things” but that violence would not be tolerated.

The university estimated it would spend $600,000 on security for the event and 500 law enforcement officers reported to the campus ahead of Spencer’s address.

The university had denied a previous request from Spencer to speak on its campus but agreed to let him go forward with this event after a local lawyer threatened to sue.

Spencer was among those who participated in the deadly August white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Va. He returned to the site earlier this month for another white nationalist gathering.