Alachua Sheriff Sean Brijmohan.
White nationalist Richard Spencer‘s speech at the University of Florida has already led to one arrest of an armed man who was a “reported press member.”
The Alachua County Sheriff’s Department wrote on Twitter on October 19, in advance of the speech, “Reported Press Member arrested @UF was armed security hired by media. Had firearm on campus against Fl Statute.”
The Sheriff’s Department identified the man as Sean Brijmohan. “Arrested Man ID as Sean Brijmohan 28 YOA from Orlando FL. Arrested under FS790.115(2)(c)1 Carrying Firearm on School Property,” wrote the Sheriff’s Department on Twitter.
Reported Press Member arrested @UF was armed security hired by media. Had firearm on campus against Fl Statute. Details to follow.
Reporter Jamarlo Phills called the man a “licensed security officer carrying loaded firearm under large shirt at #SpencerAtUF event.”
Here’s video:
WearTV reported, “Alachua County sheriff’s deputies arrested an armed man on the University of Florida campus who was wearing a University of Florida media pass, a knife, handcuffs, and had a loaded firearm underneath his shirt…Alachua County sheriff’s deputies report that the man was an armed security guard hired by the media.”
Sheriff’s officials described the situation as an “isolated incident,” according to WearTV.
Protesters gathered at the University of Florida campus in Gainesville before the speech. “The event, scheduled for Thursday afternoon (October 19), is Spencer’s first planned visit to a college campus since he and others participated in the ‘Unite the Right’ rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, in August,” CNN reported.
Florida’s governor declared a state of emergency for Alachua in advance of the speech to make law enforcement collaboration easier, and the National Guard is at a state of readiness in case it’s needed, according to CNN.
Not only is Richard Spencer a key figure of the alt-right movement; he coined the term “alternative right,” shortened to alt-right.
The alt-right movement is a set of fringe, far-right ideologies including white nationalism and a fierce opposition to political correctness. It took root in part on 4chan, an anonymous message board that makes heavy use of memes like Pepe the Frog.
You can read more about Spencer’s background here: