'Nazi' Richard Spencer Ousted From Alexandria Gym

ALEXANDRIA, VA — An Old Town Alexandria gym ended the membership of white nationalist Richard Spencer after he was confronted over his racial views. C. Christine Fair, an associate professor at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service, recognized and approached Spencer at Old Town Sport&Health on Wednesday.

According to a Tumblr post Fair wrote, Spencer first denied his identity when asked. (Subscribe to get Virginia Patch News Alerts and newsletters. iPhone users can download the Patch app in the App Store. Plus, like Old Town Alexandria Patch on Facebook.)

“I said, ‘Of course you are, so not only are you a Nazi — you are a cowardly Nazi,’” Fair said in an interview with the Washington Post. “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.”

Fair said Spencer called for help from one of the trainers, who happened to be African-American. She added that a white woman who claimed to not know who Spencer was asked Fair to stop making a scene.

Two days after the encounter, Fair tweeted out a picture of the encounter and a response to the gym ending Spencer's membership.

Spencer confirmed to Buzzfeed with a copy of the gym's termination letter. He said he initially denied his identity to Fair because he didn't want to get into a confrontation. "I don't come to the gym to do politics. But she started screeching and yelling all this stuff," he told Buzzfeed, adding that other gym goers had asked her to stop. He said that the manager told Fair to stop and asked her to leave after around 10 minutes.

Spencer advocates for white supremacy in the Old Town Alexandria-based National Policy Institute. The encounter comes after Spencer joined white supremacist groups in Charlottesville to protest the city's decision to remove a Robert E. Lee statue from a public park.

Spencer, who joined the Alexandria gym in February, has not indicated whether he will take action against the gym.

What do you think of the encounter and the gym's decision to end Spencer's membership? Let us know in the comments.

Image via Vas/Flickr, used under Creative Commons