FILE – In this Dec. 6, 2016 file 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. The Montana-based National Policy Institute, run by Spencer, who popularized the term “alternative right,” is among groups of the white nationalist movement […]

Gainesville, FL (CNN/WKRG) One man has been arrested as protests grow in Gainesville over a speech by a white nationalist. The man was reportedly armed with a gun and had a media pass.

Hundreds of police officers wearing bulletproof vests were deployed at the University of Florida on Thursday to guard against unrest over a speech by a white nationalist that was expected to draw thousands in protest.

Richard Spencer’s event at the University of Florida in Gainesville comes about two months after rallies by neo-Nazis and white supremacists in Charlottesville, Virginia, led to a deadly clash with counter-protesters.

Florida’s governor has declared a state of emergency to prepare for possible violence.

The violence on August 12 sparked a national debate on race. President Donald Trump came under fire for blaming both sides for the melee.

Spencer, who heads the National Policy Institute, a nationalist think tank, is scheduled to speak at 2:30 p.m. The university said it did not invite him to speak, but was obligated by law to allow the event. It said it will spend more than 500 thousand dollars on security.

The National Policy Institute is paying more than 10 thousand dollars to rent the facility and for security within the venue, according to the university.

About three thousand people have signed up on a Facebook page to say they will attend a protest rally called “No Nazis at UF,” which will be held outside the venue where Spencer is speaking.