UT students prepare to protest Traditional Worker Party visit

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) - A student group at the University of Tennessee is planning to protest the visit of a Traditionalist Worker Party leader on Saturday.

Progressive Student Alliance member Faith Held says she was upset when she first heard Matthew Heimbach was speaking on campus.

"My first reaction was I was really shocked and surprised,"

said Held.

"Then I started looking around and thinking, 'Okay, what can I do about this? How can I make it clear to people that as a whole our campus is not okay with this.'"

Held and other members of the Progressive Student Alliance at UT will be protesting the Traditionalist Worker Party during Heimbach's visit.

"It's really important to us to make sure we have an inclusive campus and that minority students can feel comfortable here and don't have to worry that white supremacists are just going to come crawling out of the woodwork at a moments notice and threaten their safety."

"The protest is going to start at the amphitheater next to the humanities building on campus and then protesters are going to march towards the lawn at the Hill in front of Ayers Hall."

Matthew Heimbach will be speaking in Beuhler Hall which is right across from Ayers Hall on Circle Drive.

Held says she isn't positive how many people will come to the protest but expects a good turn out. She also says the progressive student alliance plans to be peaceful.

"Our main goal is to kind of present this united front,"

said Held.

"We've got some contacts that we've made with outside groups off of campus as well. We are hoping that using that as a resource also so we can get not only students but Knoxville as a whole involved in this."