Georgetown professor confronts white nationalist Richard Spencer at the gym

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Georgetown professor confronts white nationalist Richard Spencer at the gym — which terminates his membership

By Faiz Siddiqui May 21

An Alexandria gym terminated the membership of white nationalist Richard Spencer last week after he was confronted by a Georgetown University professor who recognized him and lambasted him over his alt-right views.

C. Christine Fair, an associate professor at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service, said she was working out at Old Town Sport&Health on Wednesday when she spotted Spencer, president of the white-nationalist National Policy Institute.

Fellow gym patrons had told Fair how Spencer had been seen at the gym earlier that week, she said. When she recognized him as the man working out on the gym’s second floor, she approached him. At first, she said, Spencer denied who he was.

“Are you Richard Spencer?” she asked him, describing the encounter in an online post. “No. I am not,” he replied. ... “I said, ‘Of course you are, so not only are you a Nazi — you are a cowardly Nazi,’?” Fair said in an interview, invoking a common characterization of Spencer. “I just want to say to you, I’m sick of your crap — that this country belongs {to people like you}. .?.?. As a woman, I find your statements to be particularly odious; moreover, I find your presence in this gym to be unacceptable, your presence in this town to be unacceptable.”
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Faiz Siddiqui is a metro reporter covering transportation and local issues. He has previously contributed to NPR, The Boston Globe and the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.
Follow @faizsays

I never thought I would read anything that makes Richard Spencer appear sympathetic, but this does.

Here's a comment:

erbkon
7:37 AM EST {Edited}
I do not like 'white nationalists'. I also do not care for holier-than-thou lefties with the temerity to call themselves 'progressive' who think it constitutes 'progress' to harass people in their personal lives. And it was simply laughable to say that 'Spencer’s views create a “hostile environment” for gym employees who are women and people of color.' His VIEWS, presumably silently kept inside his head while listening to some rubbish while running on a treadmill? What she was essentially saying is that his mere existence there created a 'hostile environment', and presumably that he has no right to exist. Sorry. He's a wicked fool, but he has a right to be wrong on his own time, in his own head, in his own space, even at the gym, and not to be harassed if he wasn't harassing her. I feel slightly soiled standing up for him, but she was wrong and that's that.

[secondwind]

1. I have to say that I'm glad she did what she did... we need to call these people out