Hundreds Protest White Nationalist at Texas A&M University

— -- Hundreds of protesters turned up at an appearance by white nationalist Richard Spencer at Texas A&M University on Tuesday.

Spencer, who leads a white nationalist organization, came to national attention when video surfaced of him at a Washington, D.C. conference in November shouting “Hail Trump, hail our people, hail victory!” as some members of the crowd raised their hands in a Nazi salute.

Hundreds gathered outside the Texas A&M union where Spencer appeared on Tuesday, according to ABC affiliate WFAA.

The university did not invite Spencer, who appeared in an event space on the campus reserved by a former student.

The demonstrators held signs and some attempted to drown out Spencer's speech with chants and jeers.

At one point during the event, a physical struggle broke out between a black female and a white man, who snatched a microphone from her hands by force.

The night ended with police in riot gear pushing people out of the building where Spencer spoke.

Texas A&M spokesperson Amy B. Smith said last month in a statement to The Battalion, the university's student newspaper, that Spencer’s views were not shared by the university, but added that there was little it could do to stop him from speaking on campus.

“Private citizens are permitted to reserve space available to the public as we are a public university,” Smith said.

In an interview with WFAA ahead of Tuesday's event, Spencer said that the controversial video of people doing Nazi salutes at his speech was taken out of context.

“Those people were being funny," he said. They were being ironic, I got the joke and I think most young people got the joke.”

Max Glauben, a Holocaust survivor who drove from Dallas to attend the Texas A&M rally, doesn't see the humor.

“What we need to do right now is when you see a bad thing done then you do something about it or say something. Don’t allow it,” he told WFAA.

A&M alum Shannon Taylor-Kerne, who also attended the protest rally, said, “Most people here tonight are not against something. They are for all people and they are for the values of respect.”

Students wrote messages on a makeshift "unity wall" on the campus that included "Aggies against hate," "Love & Respect," and "United We Stand," according to WFAA.

ABC News' Michael Edison Hayden contributed to this report.