Florida brewery encourages boycott of speech by white nationalist Richard Spencer with free beer

Alligator Brewing will trade free beer for two tickets to the event.

ByABC News
October 18, 2017, 5:16 PM

— -- A Florida brewing company is offering free beer to those who boycott a speech by white nationalist Richard Spencer scheduled to take place at the University of Florida on Thursday.

Alligator Brewing instructed people to trade in their tickets at Tall Paul's Brew House for a free draft beer. The tickets will then be disposed of, "leaving two more empty seats in the Philips Center," the brewery wrote on Instagram.

"Here at Alligator we believe free speech is a cornerstone of our great nation," the company said in a statement posted to Instagram. "Speech that condones, let alone promotes racial supremacy has no home in America. And it sure as hell doesn't have a home here in our beautiful town."

The tickets are free and available to be picked up on the day of the event, The Independent Florida Alligator reported.

"We unfortunately can't stop [Spencer] from bringing his hate to Gainesville, but we can empty the room so his disgusting message goes unheard," the brewery wrote.

In a statement to ABC News, Spencer's attorney, Kyle Bristow, said, "We are not whatsoever concerned with the beer-for-tickets stunt."

UF President W. Kent Fuchs said the school will spend an estimated $600,000 on security for Spencer's appearance, according to The Associated Press.

PHOTO: Florida Highway Patrol officers stand guard the day before a speech by Richard Spencer, an avowed white nationalist and spokesperson for the so-called alt-right movement, on the campus of the University of Florida, Oct. 18, 2017.
Florida Highway Patrol officers stand guard the day before a speech by Richard Spencer, an avowed white nationalist and spokesperson for the so-called alt-right movement, on the campus of the University of Florida in Gainesville, Fla., Oct. 18, 2017.

In an interview with the AP, Fuchs affirmed his belief in free speech but said that Spencer is "hijacking" public universities and forcing taxpayers to pay the security costs. Public universities are compelled by the First Amendment to provide a speaking forum, according to the AP.

PHOTO: Richard Spencer, who leads a movement that mixes racism, white nationalism and populism, speaks at the Texas A&M University campus in College Station, Texas, Dec. 6, 2016.
Richard Spencer, who leads a movement that mixes racism, white nationalism and populism, speaks at the Texas A&M University campus in College Station, Texas, Dec. 6, 2016.

Spencer was previously denied a request to rent space at the university for a Sept. 12 speech due to the "likelihood of violence and potential injury," the university said in a statement at the time. Spencer helped organize Unite the Right rally that took place in Charlottesville in August.

An event held by Spencer at Texas A&M University last December was swarmed by protesters.