Richard Spencer, like the rest of his white supremacist cohort, has long advocated the expulsion of unwanted migrants.
He now knows precisely what that feels like.
This week, in a development first flagged by HOPE not hate, a British anti-racism organization, Spencer learned that he would be unable to travel to Sweden to take part in a conference for young white supremacists. As Spencer’s pal Christoffer Dulny, another white supremacist member of the so-called “alt-right” movement, wrote on Twitter, Spencer was slated to be a “secret guest” at the conference, but will be a no-show instead, having been turned away at a “European airport and denied further travel.”
“The global anarcho-tyranny lives and thrives,” Dulny added.
Mycket tråkiga nyheter: @RichardBSpencer som skulle vara vår hemlige gäst här på Almedalen har blivit stoppad på en europeisk flygplats och nekas resa vidare.
Den globala anarkotyrannin lever och frodas.
— Christoffer Dulny (@chris_dulny) July 4, 2018
Per Swedish media, Spencer was prevented from traveling during a layover in Poland. Polish authorities told Spencer that he was barred from traveling in the country, and that “he has to return to the United States,” according to Sweden’s Fria Tider outlet.
It’s unclear if Spencer has been barred from all European countries or just Poland. However, a November report noted that Spencer had been barred from traveling to or through the 26 European countries that comprise the Schengen Area, an organization of nations that have effectively provided for the free movement of tourists and citizens. Both Poland and Sweden are members of the Schengen Area.
In the wake of last November’s report, Spencer whined that he was being “treated like a criminal by the Polish government.” He has yet to comment on Poland’s move this week, but his expulsion follows a similar development in 2014, in which Hungary arrested and deported Spencer.
The announcement also follows the U.K.’s decision to bar a number of other white supremacists and far-right conspiracy theorists earlier this year, including Canadian Lauren Southern — who has made a habit of smiling alongside other white supremacists recently — and Brittany Pettibone, who once described herself as “one of the leading authorities on Pizzagate.” All of them have advocated for stronger borders; all of them complained when British authorities took their advice.
Spencer’s new face
Spencer’s inability to travel to Sweden — a country that he described as “the most alt-right” last year — is but the latest in a lengthening string of set-backs and embarrassments for the white supremacist.
In 2018 alone, Spencer has not only watched his nationwide college tour implode due to paltry attendance, but he has effectively killed off three different fund-raising sites — Hatreon, MakerSupport, and Freestartr — geared toward neo-fascists and white supremacists. Another fundraising side, FundedJustice, also booted Spencer, leaving him scrambling for a means of raising funds to cover attorney fees in a lawsuit he’s facing for his role in last year’s violence in Charlottesville, Virginia.
As if that weren’t enough, Spencer has decided to try out growing a mustache — a decision that has been as widely mocked as anything he’s recently attempted.
aygyudtFVUAYHGFDUSKJLHL RICHARD SPENCER'S MOUSTACHE FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF
— impact font meme shark (@m3rry__) June 29, 2018
Jesus christ, Richard Spencer really needs to get rid of his mustache
— Bitter Baron🌲🇳🇱 (@Bitter_Baron) June 29, 2018
Richard Spencer's mustache is fucking awful.
— Ŧɍɨǥǥɇɍɇđ NȺɍᵾŧø (@TriggeredNaruto) June 29, 2018
As such, perhaps being barred from European travel is something of a silver lining for the white supremacist: at least an entire continent won’t be able to make fun of his facial hair to his face for the foreseeable future.