A state of emergency has been declared in Alachua County, Florida, where thousands of protesters and hundreds of police have gathered in advance of a speech by a prominent white supremacist.

Far right figurehead Richard Spencer is due to speak at the University of Florida (UF) on Thursday, marking his first university speech since the Unite the Right rally at the University of Virginia. The August rally descended into violence, leaving dozens injured and one dead.

UF President Kent Fuchs said he is working to prevent a similar outcome at Thursday’s event. In an email to staff and students, he urged community members to stay away from the speech altogether.

“[Do] not provide Mr. Spencer and his followers the spotlight they are seeking” he wrote. “...By shunning him and his followers we will block his attempt for further visibility.”

In service of this goal, the school has cancelled classes and closed roads near the speech. But thousands of protesters appear to be paying no mind: More than 3,000 have RSVPed on Facebook to an on-campus protest called, “No Nazis at UF - Protest Richard Spencer”.

Violence on the streets of Charlottesville Show all 9 1 /9 Violence on the streets of Charlottesville Violence on the streets of Charlottesville Protesters clash and several are injured White nationalist demonstrators clash with counter demonstrators at the entrance to Lee Park in Charlottesville, Virginia. A state of emergency is declared, August 12 2017 Violence on the streets of Charlottesville Trump supporters at the protest A white nationalist demonstrator walks into Lee Park in Charlottesville, Va., Saturday, Aug. 12, 2017. Hundreds of people chanted, threw punches, hurled water bottles and unleashed chemical sprays on each other Saturday after violence erupted at a white nationalist rally in Virginia. AP Photo Violence on the streets of Charlottesville State police stand ready in riot gear Virginia State Police cordon off an area around the site where a car ran into a group of protesters after a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia AP Photo Violence on the streets of Charlottesville Militia armed with assault rifles White nationalists, neo-Nazis and members of the 'alt-right' with body armor and combat weapons evacuate comrades who were pepper sprayed after the 'Unite the Right' rally was declared a unlawful gathering by Virginia State Police. Militia members marched through the city earlier in the day, armed with assault rifles. Getty Images Violence on the streets of Charlottesville Statue of Confederate General Robert E Lee The statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee stands behind a crowd of hundreds of white nationalists, neo-Nazis and members of the 'alt-right' during the 'Unite the Right' rally 12 August 2017 in Charlottesville, Virginia. They are protesting the removal of the statue from Emancipation Park in the city. Getty Images Violence on the streets of Charlottesville Racial tensions sparked the violence White nationalists, neo-Nazis and members of the 'alt-right' exchange insults with counter-protesters as they attempt to guard the entrance to Lee Park during the 'Unite the Right' rally Getty Violence on the streets of Charlottesville A car plows through protesters A vehicle drives into a group of protesters demonstrating against a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. The incident resulted in multiple injuries, some life-threatening, and one death. AP Photo Violence on the streets of Charlottesville Rescue personnel help injured people after a car ran into a large group of protesters after an white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia AP Photo Violence on the streets of Charlottesville President Donald Trump speaks about the ongoing situation in Charlottesville, Virginia from his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey. He spoke about "loyalty" and "healing wounds" left by decades of racism.

According to the event page, the protesters plan to march to the Phillips Centre, where Mr Spencer will be speaking at 2:30 pm. The group has arranged shuttles to bring people to the protest, and organised groups to provide water. According to the event plage, they plan to keep the protest nonviolent.

“The most important thing that everyone is working for [is] to peacefully get the message that the students, people from Gainesville, and everyone across the state oppose Richard Spencer’s white supremacist ideology,” protest organiser Mitch Emerson told The Independent.

The other important thing, he added, is “to do everything we can to get everyone home safe”.

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In the interest of public safety, Florida Governor Rick Scott declared a state of emergency in the surrounding county. The declaration places the Florida National Guard on standby and allows the Alachua County Sheriff to call on specialised security forces from across the state.

The University of Florida Police Department, Gainesville Police Department, Alachua County Sheriff’s Office, Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and Florida Highway Patrol were all dispatched on Thursday, Reuters reported. The school alone said it would pay for an estimated $500,000 in additional security.

Mr Spencer told CBS that the emergency declaration was "flattering" but "most likely overkill."

"I'm not a hurricane or an invading army, at least not literally," he said.

Still, Mr Spencer’s own team was taking additional precautions on Thursday. Cameron Padgett, an organiser for Mr Spencer’s National Policy Institute, told USA Today that only people who looked like Spencer supporters would be given one of the 700 tickets for the speech.

According to Mr Padgett, this was to thwart a local bar’s plan to give free beer to protesters who obtained and discarded an event ticket.

"There's only so many tickets we're allowed to have for the event, so it didn't make sense to let that happen," said Mr Padgett.

Mr Spencer was not invited to UF by a student group, faculty member, or community organisation Instead, the National Policy Institute booked and paid for the speaking space itself.

The university attempted to bar Mr Spencer from speaking when he first applied in August, but backed down when threatened with a free speech lawsuit.