Hell Froze Over As Alt-Right Guru Richard Spencer Complains Right-Wing ‘Antifa’ Went Too Far (TWEETS/VIDEO)

In case you missed it, on Friday night, alt-right blogger and pseudo-journalist Laura Loomer became the wingnut fringe’s latest hero(ine) of the moment. Loomer, like most of her fellow alt-right buddies, was outraged at the Public Theater’s modern take on “Julius Caesar,” which featured a title character that closely resembles Donald Trump. A number of conservatives believe the play amounted to a tacit call for Trump’s assassination.


Loomer rushed the Delacorte Theater stage as Caesar/Trump was being stabbed, and railed that this version of “Julius Caesar” amounted to glorification of violence against conservatives. She was arrested on misdemeanor charges of trespassing and disorderly conduct. As she was being hustled off the stage, another alt-right activist, Jack Posobiec, yelled that the play was something out of Joseph Goebbels’ playbook.

A number of prominent right-wing figures, such as Alex Jones, Mike Cernovich, Laura Ingraham, and Cassandra Fairbanks, rallied to Loomer’s defense, saying that she was merely protesting a tacit call for Trump to be murdered. However, one very prominent alt-right figure broke away from this seeming consensus that Loomer was a hero. Namely, the man who supposedly coined the term “alt-right”–Richard Spencer.

Wait a minute. The same Richard Spencer who openly declared Trump was going to make this country a safe space for whites? The same Richard Spencer who led alt-right activists in chanting “Hail victory!” after Trump’s upset win? The same Richard Spencer who was too out there even for the Conservative Political Action Conference? That Richard Spencer?

Believe it or not, this actually happened. Early Saturday morning, while most of the alt-right was cheering Loomer as a hero and patriot, Spencer sounded a contrarian note on Twitter.

Spencer was referring to the “antifa movement”–a cluster of far-left groups that refuse any form of dialogue with Trump and are willing to resort to violence to oppose him. In essence, Spencer was saying that Loomer had crossed a bright line. He dropped a loud hint that he wasn’t pleased with Loomer and Posobiec’s gambit shortly after word got out about Loomer’s arrest.

Within minutes of Spencer’s announcement that he supported Loomer’s arrest, Loomer angrily announced she would not take part in a Spencer-organized “free speech rally” in Washington.

That didn’t faze Spencer at all. He explained himself further in a YouTube video that went live on Saturday night.

Spencer harrumphed that Loomer and Posobiec’s stunts were typical tactics from what he called the “alt-lite” or “fake right.” He denounced it as an attempt to “shut down free speech–free speech in the form of art.” He accused them of using “antifa language” by vowing to shut the play down.

In what amounted to a stern lecture, Spencer said, “Speech is not violence, and violence is not speech.” He contended that Loomer’s stunt amounted to a “heckler’s veto”–something that he himself has experienced. He has had a number of events canceled due to concerns that violence might break out. For that reason, he disavowed any attempt to “infringe on the free expression of other people.”

While Spencer believes the Public’s version of “Julius Caesar” was an expression of “liberal angst” or “liberal fanaticism,” he also noted that Shakespeare originally wrote it as an “equivocal” piece. He reminded his audience that at the end of the play, Brutus–and indeed, the other conspirators–are dead. He added something that any high school student would know–the play is a critique of “the dangers of political conspiracy” and “the dangers of political violence.” Spencer speaks from experience; he played Mark Antony in a production of “Julius Caesar” during his undergraduate days at the University of Virginia.

For that reason, he has no problem with any depiction of Trump’s murder. He suggested that “these dumb people on the fake right” should consider the possibility that it has a dramatically different meaning than what the likes of Breitbart and Fox News have suggested it has, especially considering that many of Shakespeare’s plays focus on political dysfunction. He thought that it would be a good idea for a conservative director to put on a production of “Julius Caesar.”

This rare outbreak of reason and common sense from the alt-right’s leading guru didn’t play very well in Deplorableland.

https://twitter.com/LeCovfefe/status/876037426778697732

https://twitter.com/DeplorableJon/status/876006865884241920

https://twitter.com/SAHCalifornia/status/875965444074610688

https://twitter.com/razi099/status/876049729045614592

So peaceful protest is sedition, but storming a stage–an act that, by definition, is definitely not peaceful–is perfectly fine? Apparently so, in the world of those defending Loomer.


Lest you think that Spencer has finally come to his senses, he let it be known that he isn’t pleased with Trump’s decision to let “Dreamers” stay in this country for now.

So he’s perfectly fine with undocumented immigrants who came to this country as small children being kicked out of the only home they know. Bear this in mind in case someone shows you his defense of “Julius Caesar” and tries to convince you that he’s anything other than a stopped clock.

(featured image courtesy Vas Panagiotopoulos, available under a Creative Commons-BY license)

Darrell is a 30-something graduate of the University of North Carolina who considers himself a journalist of the old school. An attempt to turn him into a member of the religious right in college only succeeded in turning him into the religious right's worst nightmare--a charismatic Christian who is an unapologetic liberal. His desire to stand up for those who have been scared into silence only increased when he survived an abusive three-year marriage. You may know him on Daily Kos as Christian Dem in NC. Follow him on Twitter @DarrellLucus or connect with him on Facebook. Click here to buy Darrell a Mello Yello.