When white nationalist Richard Spencer attempted to deliver a speech at the University of Florida in Gainesville on Thursday, he was met with a massive protest that refused to let his hateful rhetoric be heard.
Students chanted, "GO HOME SPENCER" and "SAY IT LOUD, SAY IT CLEAR, NAZIS ARE NOT WELCOME HERE" in an attempt to drown out Spencer.
Some instances of violence still managed to break out between protesters and Spencer's supporters, particularly when one man wearing a shirt covered in swastikas was punched in the face.
Getty images shared the moment of impact on Twitter:
The punch was also caught on video:
Spencer himself has been known to take a punch or two to the face in the past as well.
Most notably, Spencer took a hard punch to the face earlier this year during a Trump inauguration protest in a video that quickly went viral:
But on Thursday, one protester decided to try a different tactic: hugging.
Aaron Courtney, a high school football coach, approached Randy Furniss, the man wearing the swastika t-shirt who had been punched earlier, and grappled him into a bear hug, asking, "Why don't you like me, dog? What is it? What is it?"
The moment was caught on video:
At first, Furniss ignored the question, Courtney told the New York Daily News, but that didn't stop him from trying.
"I had the opportunity to talk to someone who hates my guts and I wanted to know why," Courtney said. "During our conversation, I asked him, ‘Why do you hate me? What is it about me? Is it my skin color? My history? My dreadlocks?’"
But then came the moment that Courtney was hoping for.
"I reached over and the third time, he wrapped his arms around me, and I heard God whisper in my ear, ‘You changed his life,’" Courtney said.
"Why do you hate me?" he asked once more.
"I don't know," Furniss finally responded.
Twitter had mixed feelings about the encounter:
Regardless, it was a risky move that may or may not have paid off. But anything that gets people to think about their ingrained prejudice is a good start.
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H/T: Mashable, New York Daily News, Twitter
Jane Rosenberg
Jane Rosenberg
Jane Rosenberg
Jane Rosenberg
Jane Rosenberg
