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{{Short description|2017 white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia}} | |||
{{In use}} | |||
{{About|the 2017 rally in Charlottesville, Virginia|the 2018 rally in Washington, D.C.|Unite the Right 2}} | |||
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2019}} | |||
{{Infobox civil conflict | |||
| title = Unite the Right rally | |||
| subtitle = | |||
| partof = ] and ] | |||
| image = Charlottesville 'Unite the Right' Rally (35780274914) crop.jpg | |||
| caption = Rally participants preparing to enter ] in ], on August 12, 2017, carrying ] flags, ]s, ]s, a ], and a flag depicting ] | |||
| date = {{start and end dates|2017|8|11|2017|8|12}} | |||
| place = ], U.S. | |||
| coordinates = | |||
| causes = | |||
| goals = * Promotion of ] and ] ideologies | |||
* Protesting against the Charlottesville City Council's decision to order the removal of ] from local public spaces | |||
| methods = | |||
| status = | |||
| result = | |||
| side1 = {{nowrap| '''Counter-protesters'''}} | |||
{{blist | |||
|] | |||
|] | |||
|] | |||
|] | |||
|] | |||
|] | |||
|] | |||
|] | |||
|] | |||
|] | |||
|] | |||
|Unaffiliated counter-protesters | |||
}} | |||
| side2 = {{nowrap| '''Protesters'''}} | |||
{{blist | |||
|] | |||
{{blist | |||
|] | |||
|Identity Dixie | |||
|] | |||
|] | |||
|] | |||
}} | |||
|] (] and Confederate White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan) | |||
|] | |||
|] | |||
|] | |||
|] | |||
|] | |||
|] | |||
|American Guard | |||
|Detroit Right Wings | |||
|True Cascadia | |||
|Alt-Right Montreal | |||
|Hammer Brothers | |||
|] | |||
}} | |||
''']''' | |||
{{blist | |||
|Pennsylvania Light Foot Militia | |||
|] | |||
|Virginia Minutemen Militia | |||
|] | |||
}} | |||
| side3 = ''']''' | |||
{{blist | |||
|] | |||
}} | |||
| side4 = | |||
| leadfigures1 = Decentralized | |||
| leadfigures2 = ]<br> | |||
] | |||
| leadfigures3 = ] | |||
| leadfigures4 = | |||
| howmany1 = | |||
| howmany2 = | |||
| howmany3 = | |||
| howmany4 = | |||
| casualties1 = 1 killed, 35 injured in ]<br> 14+ injured in other clashes | |||
| casualties2 = Unknown | |||
| casualties3 = 2 ] died in an accidental helicopter crash<ref>{{cite news|title=Two state police troopers killed in Charlottesville helicopter crash while covering protest|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/public-safety/two-state-police-troopers-killed-in-charlottesville-helicopter-crash-remembered-as-heroes/2017/08/12/099a41d0-7fd2-11e7-83c7-5bd5460f0d7e_story.html|last=Weiner|first=Rachel|newspaper=]|publisher=]|date=2017-08-12|access-date=2017-08-17|archive-date=January 27, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210127051508/https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/public-safety/two-state-police-troopers-killed-in-charlottesville-helicopter-crash-remembered-as-heroes/2017/08/12/099a41d0-7fd2-11e7-83c7-5bd5460f0d7e_story.html|url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
| casualties4 = | |||
| fatalities = | |||
| injuries = | |||
| arrests = 11<ref>{{cite news|title=Video Shows Man Shooting At Crowd During Charlottesville Rally, With No Police Response|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/richard-preston-arrested-shooting-gun-charlottesville-rally_us_59a20a39e4b06d67e3380e37|first=Carla|last=Herreria|work=]|date=2017-08-26|access-date=2017-08-27|archive-date=February 1, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190201175816/https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/richard-preston-arrested-shooting-gun-charlottesville-rally_us_59a20a39e4b06d67e3380e37|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="RamosExtradited">{{cite news|title=Charlottesville suspect arrested in Georgia to be extradited|url=https://apnews.com/article/5fb802406cba44288a217d888f988263|work=apnews.com|publisher=Associated Press|date=2017-08-29|access-date=2017-08-31|archive-date=August 28, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230828220430/https://apnews.com/article/5fb802406cba44288a217d888f988263|url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
| damage = | |||
| buildings = | |||
| detentions = | |||
| charged = | |||
| fined = | |||
| effect = | |||
| effect_label = | |||
| casualties_label = | |||
| notes = | |||
| sidebox = | |||
}} | |||
{{Neo-fascism}} | |||
{{Antisemitism}} | |||
The '''Unite the Right rally''' was a ]<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.foxnews.com/us/black-man-beaten-during-charlottesville-rally-acquitted-of-assault|title=Black man beaten during Charlottesville rally acquitted of assault|date=2018-03-17|access-date=2018-08-01|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190719225449/https://www.foxnews.com/us/black-man-beaten-during-charlottesville-rally-acquitted-of-assault|archive-date=2019-07-19|publisher=]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/21/us/jason-kessler-white-nationalist-rally.html|title='White Civil Rights Rally' Planned Near White House by Charlottesville Organizer|last=Haag|first=Matthew|date=2018-07-21|work=]|access-date=2018-08-01|url-status=live|archive-url=https://archive.today/20191020083135/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/21/us/jason-kessler-white-nationalist-rally.html|archive-date=2019-10-20|url-access=limited}}</ref><ref name="Vox" /><ref name="nyt-boost2">{{cite news|last1=Thrush|first1=Glenn|author-link=Glenn Thrush|last2=Haberman|first2=Maggie|author-link2=Maggie Haberman|date=2017-08-15|title=Trump Gives White Supremacists an Unequivocal Boost|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/15/us/politics/trump-charlottesville-white-nationalists.html|url-status=live|url-access=limited|archive-url=https://archive.today/20170816044744/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/15/us/politics/trump-charlottesville-white-nationalists.html|archive-date=2017-08-16}}</ref> rally that took place in ], from August 11 to 12, 2017.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://alumni.virginia.edu/learn/2017/10/20/events-august-11th-12th-historians-brief-reflections-charlottesville/|title=The Events of August 11th and 12th: A Historian's Brief Reflections on Charlottesville|author=Alridge, Derrick P.|website=alumni.virginia.edu|publisher=]|date=2017-10-20|access-date=2020-09-12|archive-date=2020-09-12|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200912200946/https://alumni.virginia.edu/learn/2017/10/20/events-august-11th-12th-historians-brief-reflections-charlottesville/}}</ref><ref name= "nationalview">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/13/us/far-right-groups-blaze-into-national-view-in-charlottesville.html|title=Far-Right Groups Surge Into National View In Charlottesville|last1=Fausset|first1=Richard|date=2017-08-13|work=The New York Times|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170816015808/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/13/us/far-right-groups-blaze-into-national-view-in-charlottesville.html|archive-date=2017-08-16|last2=Feuer|first2=Alan|url-access=limited}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-40912509|title=Charlottesville: One killed in violence over US far-right rally|date=2017-08-13|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190910092140/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-40912509|archive-date=2019-09-10|work=]}}</ref> Marchers included members of the ],<ref name=":5">{{cite news|url=https://www.modbee.com/news/article167213427.html|title='This is a huge victory.' Oakdale white supremacist revels after deadly Virginia clash|last1=Stapley|first1=Garth|date=2017-08-14|work=]|access-date=2017-08-17|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170815042856/http://www.modbee.com/news/article167213427.html|archive-date=2017-08-15}}</ref> ],<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/neo-confederate-league-of-the-south-banned-from-protesting-in-charlottesville|title=Neo-Confederate League of the South Banned From Armed Protesting in Charlottesville|last=Weill|first=Kelly|date=2018-03-27|work=]|access-date=2018-08-12|url-status=live|archive-url=https://archive.today/20191020084409/https://www.thedailybeast.com/neo-confederate-league-of-the-south-banned-from-protesting-in-charlottesville|archive-date=2019-10-20}}</ref> ],<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-40914748|title=A reckoning in Charlottesville|last=Gunter|first=Joel|date=2017-08-13|access-date=2018-09-20|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190505231945/https://www.bbc.com/news/amp/world-us-canada-40914748|archive-date=2019-05-05|work=BBC News}}</ref> ],<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/state-emergency-charlottesville-va-fights-erupt-white-nationalist-rally|title=Three dead after white nationalist rally in Charlottesville|last=Kelkar|first=Kamala|date=2017-08-12|work=]|access-date=2018-06-24|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180514120323/https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/state-emergency-charlottesville-va-fights-erupt-white-nationalist-rally|archive-date=2018-05-14}}</ref> ],<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/local/wp/2017/08/13/heres-what-a-neo-nazi-rally-looks-like-in-2017-america/|title=Here's what a neo-Nazi rally looks like in 2017 America|last=Wootson|first=Cleve R. Jr.|date=2017-08-13|newspaper=]|access-date=2018-08-12|url-access=limited|archive-date=July 19, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190719225420/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/local/wp/2017/08/13/heres-what-a-neo-nazi-rally-looks-like-in-2017-america/|url-status=live}}</ref> ],<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.cnn.com/2017/08/11/us/charlottesville-white-nationalists-rally-why/index.html|title=Why white nationalists are drawn to Charlottesville|last1=Park|first1=Madison|date=2017-08-12|access-date=2019-02-13|url-status=live|archive-url=https://archive.today/20170812032104/http://edition.cnn.com/2017/08/11/us/charlottesville-white-nationalists-rally-why/index.html|archive-date=2017-08-12|publisher=]}}</ref> and ] ].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nbc29.com/story/38204693/settlements-from-unite-the-right-05-16-2018|title=3 Militia Groups Connected to Unite the Right Rally Settle Lawsuits|date=2018-05-16|work=nbc29.com|publisher=]|access-date=2018-08-12|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190214121756/https://www.nbc29.com/story/38204693/settlements-from-unite-the-right-05-16-2018|archive-date=2019-02-14|editor-last=Early|editor-first=John}}</ref> Some groups chanted ] and ] slogans and carried weapons, ], the ], ]s, '']'' crosses, flags, and other symbols of various past and present ] and ] groups.{{refn|<ref name="nyt-boost2"/><ref name="nationalview" /><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2017/local/charlottesville-videos/|title=Deconstructing the symbols and slogans spotted in Charlottesville|date=2017-08-18|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=2018-11-20|url-status=live|archive-url=https://archive.today/20170820164610/https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2017/local/charlottesville-videos/|archive-date=2017-08-20|url-access=limited}}</ref><ref name="groups" /><ref name=":6" /><ref name="HeimWaPo" /><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/08/nazis-racism-charlottesville/536928/|title=Why the Charlottesville Marchers Were Obsessed With Jews|last=Green|first=Emma|date=2017-08-15|work=]|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170817011443/https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/08/nazis-racism-charlottesville/536928/|archive-date=2017-08-17}}</ref>}} The organizers' stated goals included the unification of the American ]<ref name=":5" /> and opposing the proposed removal of the ] from Charlottesville's former ].<ref name="HeimWaPo" /><ref name="nyt94" /> The rally sparked a national debate over ], ], and white supremacy.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Franklin|first=Sekou|date=2020-06-01|title=Charlottesville 2017: The Legacy of Race and Inequity|url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/jahist/jaaa165|journal=]|volume=107|issue=1|pages=275–277|doi=10.1093/jahist/jaaa165|issn=0021-8723|via=]|access-date=June 29, 2022|archive-date=July 10, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220710153704/https://academic.oup.com/jah/article-abstract/107/1/275/5862218?redirectedFrom=fulltext|url-status=live}}</ref> The event had hundreds of participants.<ref>{{cite web |title=ADL |url=https://www.adl.org/unite-right-rallies |access-date=May 13, 2024 |archive-date=October 16, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231016105859/https://www.adl.org/unite-right-rallies |url-status=live }}</ref> | |||
'''Unite The Right''' is a ] and ]<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|url=https://www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2017/07/26/neo-nazi-misfits-join-unite-right|title=Neo-Nazi Misfits Join Unite the Right|work=Southern Poverty Law Center|access-date=2017-08-07|language=en}}</ref> gathering planned for August 12th, 2017. Notable speakers include conservative speakers ], Jason Kessler, and Christopher Cantwell; along with alt-right activists ], ], and ] founder ]<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.nbc29.com/story/35996322/charlottesville-groups-send-out-call-to-action-against-upcoming-rally|title=Charlottesville Groups Send Out 'Call to Action' Against Upcoming Rally|access-date=2017-08-07|language=en}}</ref> | |||
The rally occurred amid the controversy which was generated by the ] by local governments following the ] in 2015, in which ], a white supremacist, shot and killed nine members of a ], including the minister (a ]), and wounded another member of the church.<ref name=Vox>{{cite news|url=https://www.vox.com/2017/8/12/16138246/charlottesville-nazi-rally-right-uva|title=Unite the Right, the violent white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, explained|last=Lind|first=Dara|date=2017-08-12|work=]|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170813150325/https://www.vox.com/2017/8/12/16138246/charlottesville-nazi-rally-right-uva|archive-date=2017-08-13}}</ref> The rally turned violent after protesters clashed with ]ers, resulting in more than 30 injured.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.dailyprogress.com/news/local/hospitals-treated-after-aug-car-attack/article_6e4db4fa-86b6-11e7-8361-67f472e63daf.html|title=Hospitals: 30 treated after Aug. 12 car attack|date=2017-08-21|work=]|access-date=2017-11-26|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170821231844/https://www.dailyprogress.com/news/local/hospitals-treated-after-aug-car-attack/article_6e4db4fa-86b6-11e7-8361-67f472e63daf.html|archive-date=2017-08-21}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.cnn.com/2017/08/13/us/charlottesville-white-nationalist-rally-car-crash/index.html|date=2017-08-14|title=Charlottesville white nationalist rally: What we know|work=CNN.com|first1=Holly|last1=Yan|first2=Devon M.|last2=Sayers|first3=Steve|last3=Almasy|access-date=2017-11-26|archive-date=August 30, 2017|archive-url=https://archive.today/20170830145037/http://edition.cnn.com/2017/08/13/us/charlottesville-white-nationalist-rally-car-crash/index.html|url-status=live}}</ref> On the morning of August 12, Virginia governor ] declared a ], stating that ] could not be safeguarded without additional powers. Within an hour, at 11:22 a.m., the ] declared the rally to be an ].<ref name= "HeimWaPo" /> At around 1:45 p.m., self-identified white supremacist James Alex Fields Jr. deliberately ] about {{convert|1/2|mi|m|-2}} away from the rally site, killing Heather Heyer and injuring 35 people.{{fact|date=November 2024}} Fields fled the scene in his car but was arrested soon afterward. He was tried and convicted in Virginia state court of ], ], and other crimes in 2018, with the jury recommending a sentence of ] plus 419 years.<ref name="Mickolus">{{cite book|last=Mickolus|first=Edward|title=Terrorism Worldwide, 2018|date=2019|publisher=McFarland|location=Jefferson, North Carolina|isbn=978-1-4766-3747-1|page=}}</ref><ref name="Duggan">{{cite news|first=Paul|last=Duggan|title=James A. Fields Jr. sentenced to life in prison in Charlottesville car attack|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/public-safety/james-a-fields-jr-sentenced-to-life-in-prison-in-charlottesville-car-attack/2018/12/11/8b205a90-fcc8-11e8-ad40-cdfd0e0dd65a_story.html|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=2018-12-11|access-date=December 11, 2018|archive-date=July 28, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210728140751/https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/public-safety/james-a-fields-jr-sentenced-to-life-in-prison-in-charlottesville-car-attack/2018/12/11/8b205a90-fcc8-11e8-ad40-cdfd0e0dd65a_story.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Jacobs">{{cite news|first=Julia|last=Jacobs|title=Jury Recommends Life in Prison for James Fields in Fatal Charlottesville Attack|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/11/us/james-fields-charlottesville-sentence.html|work=The New York Times|date=2018-12-11|access-date=December 12, 2018|archive-date=November 4, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211104043825/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/11/us/james-fields-charlottesville-sentence.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The following year, Fields pleaded guilty to 29 federal hate crimes in a ] to avoid the ] in this trial.<ref name= "JouvenalDuggan">{{cite news|first1=Justin|last1=Jouvenal|first2=Paul|last2=Duggan|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/public-safety/neo-nazi-sympathizer-pleads-guilty-to-federal-hate-crimes-for-plowing-car-into-crowd-of-protesters-at-unite-the-right-rally-in-charlottesville/2019/03/27/2b947c32-50ab-11e9-8d28-f5149e5a2fda_story.html|title=Neo-Nazi sympathizer pleads guilty to federal hate crimes for plowing car into crowd of protesters at 'Unite the Right' rally in Charlottesville|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=2019-03-27|access-date=March 27, 2019|archive-date=January 10, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210110213057/https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/public-safety/neo-nazi-sympathizer-pleads-guilty-to-federal-hate-crimes-for-plowing-car-into-crowd-of-protesters-at-unite-the-right-rally-in-charlottesville/2019/03/27/2b947c32-50ab-11e9-8d28-f5149e5a2fda_story.html|url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
== Rally == | |||
Expected turnout is 4,000.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.nbc29.com/story/35966208/adl-lists-kessler-other-unite-the-right-speakers-as-white-supremacists|title=ADL Lists Kessler, Other 'Unite The Right' Speakers as White Supremacists|access-date=2017-08-07|language=en}}</ref> An estimate from the Southern Poverty Law Center estimated thousands attending.<ref name=":0" /> The rally is to protest the removal of a statue of Robert E. Lee.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2017/08/03/bickering-galore-precedes-%E2%80%9Cunite-right%E2%80%9D-rally|title=Bickering Galore Precedes “Unite the Right” Rally|work=Southern Poverty Law Center|access-date=2017-08-07|language=en}}</ref> | |||
US President ]'s remarks about the rally generated negative responses. In his initial statement following the rally, Trump condemned the "display of hatred, bigotry, and violence on many sides".<ref name="Wagner" /> This first statement and his subsequent defenses of it, in which he also referred to "very fine people on both sides", were criticized as implying a ] between the white supremacist protesters and the counter-protesters, despite him saying in the same defense that the neo-Nazis and white nationalists "should be condemned totally".<ref name="nyt-boost2"/><ref>{{cite news|last=Merica|first=Dan|date=2017-08-26|title=Trump: 'Both sides' to blame for Charlottesville|work=CNN.com|url=https://www.cnn.com/2017/08/15/politics/trump-charlottesville-delay/index.html|access-date=2018-01-13|archive-date=December 19, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191219135222/https://www.cnn.com/2017/08/15/politics/trump-charlottesville-delay/index.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Johnson|first1=Jenna|last2=Wagner|first2=John|date=2017-08-12|title=Trump condemns Charlottesville violence but doesn't single out white nationalists|newspaper=The Washington Post|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-condemns-charlottesville-violence-but-doesnt-single-out-white-nationalists/2017/08/12/933a86d6-7fa3-11e7-9d08-b79f191668ed_story.html|access-date=2021-10-22|archive-date=August 13, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170813062510/https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-condemns-charlottesville-violence-but-doesnt-single-out-white-nationalists/2017/08/12/933a86d6-7fa3-11e7-9d08-b79f191668ed_story.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Kessler|first=Glenn|date=2020-05-08|title=The 'very fine people' at Charlottesville: Who were they?|newspaper=The Washington Post|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/05/08/very-fine-people-charlottesville-who-were-they-2/|access-date=2021-10-23|archive-date=July 18, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210718190054/https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/05/08/very-fine-people-charlottesville-who-were-they-2/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="KruzelCharlottesville">{{cite web|last=Holan|first=Angie Dobric|date=2019-04-26|title=In Context: Donald Trump's 'very fine people on both sides' remarks (transcript)|url=https://www.politifact.com/article/2019/apr/26/context-trumps-very-fine-people-both-sides-remarks/|work=].com|access-date=2021-10-22|archive-date=June 30, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200630131942/https://www.politifact.com/article/2017/aug/14/context-president-donald-trumps-saturday-statement/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=PerryCook |first=Taija |title=No, Trump Did Not Call Neo-Nazis and White Supremacists 'Very Fine People' |url=https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/trump-very-fine-people/ |website=] |access-date=23 December 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241219160219/https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/trump-very-fine-people/ |archive-date=19 December 2024 |date=20 June 2024}}</ref> | |||
== Reaction == | |||
Senator Tim Kaine stated that he hoped it would encourage dialogue, but condemned the rally. <ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.nbc29.com/story/36058034/tim-kaine-weighs-in-on-the-anticipated-unite-the-right-rally|title=Tim Kaine Weighs in on Anticipated Unite the Right Rally|access-date=2017-08-07|language=en}}</ref> College President urged students to stay away from the rally due to possibe violence between the ] and ] rioters. <ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.nbc29.com/story/36064974/uva-president-wants-uva-community-to-avoid-unite-the-right|title=UVA President wants UVA Community to Avoid Unite the Right|access-date=2017-08-07|language=en}}</ref> | |||
The rally and resulting death and injuries resulted in a backlash against white supremacist groups in the United States. A number of groups that participated in the rally had events canceled by universities, and their financial and social media accounts closed by major companies.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://talkingpointsmemo.com/muckraker/how-do-white-nationalists-move-past-charlottesville-backlash|title=White Nationalists Are Feeling The Squeeze After Charlottesville Backlash|last=Kirkland|first=Allegra|date=2017-08-18|website=Talking Points Memo|access-date=2019-10-13|archive-date=July 12, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190712182810/https://talkingpointsmemo.com/muckraker/how-do-white-nationalists-move-past-charlottesville-backlash|url-status=live}}</ref> Some ] users led a campaign to identify and ] marchers at the rally from photographs; at least one rally attendee was dismissed from his job as a result of the campaign.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/social-media/twitter-users-are-outing-charlottesville-protesters-n792501|first=Alyssa|last=Newcombe|access-date=2021-10-12|title=Twitter Users Are Outing Charlottesville Protesters|work=]|date=2017-08-14|archive-date=August 23, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190823230206/https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/social-media/twitter-users-are-outing-charlottesville-protesters-n792501|url-status=live}}</ref> While the organizers intended for the rally to unite far-right groups with the goal of playing a larger role in American politics, the backlash and resultant infighting between alt-right leaders has been credited with causing a decline in the movement.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/a-year-after-charlottesville-the-alt-right-movement-frays-1533720660|title=A Year After Charlottesville, the Alt-Right Movement Frays|first=Cameron|last=McWhirter|newspaper=]|date=2018-08-08|access-date=August 9, 2018|archive-date=August 8, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180808123329/https://www.wsj.com/articles/a-year-after-charlottesville-the-alt-right-movement-frays-1533720660|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/mar/19/the-alt-right-is-in-decline-has-antifa-activism-worked|title=The alt-right is in decline. Has antifascist activism worked?|date=2018-03-19|website=The Guardian|access-date=May 13, 2024|archive-date=October 27, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201027015538/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/mar/19/the-alt-right-is-in-decline-has-antifa-activism-worked|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.newsweek.com/2018/03/30/why-alt-right-falling-apart-855008.html|title=Why is the alt-right falling apart?|first=Michael Edison|last=Hayden|date=2018-03-22|website=Newsweek|access-date=May 13, 2024|archive-date=October 30, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211030174327/https://www.newsweek.com/2018/03/30/why-alt-right-falling-apart-855008.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|url=https://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Politics/2018/0809/Jason-Kessler-and-the-alt-right-implosion-after-Charlottesville|first1=Christa Case|last1=Bryant|first2=Patrik|last2=Jonsson|title=Jason Kessler and the 'alt-right' implosion after Charlottesville|date=2018-08-09|journal=Christian Science Monitor|access-date=2021-10-12|archive-date=April 17, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210417215145/https://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Politics/2018/0809/Jason-Kessler-and-the-alt-right-implosion-after-Charlottesville|url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
== See also == | |||
After Charlottesville refused to approve another march, Unite the Right held an anniversary rally on August 11–12, 2018, called "]", in ]<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.npr.org/2018/06/21/622144455/white-civil-rights-rally-approved-for-d-c-in-august|title='White Civil Rights Rally' Approved For D.C. In August|last=Doubek|first=James|date=2018-06-21|work=].org|access-date=2018-06-24|archive-date=February 17, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190217213204/https://www.npr.org/2018/06/21/622144455/white-civil-rights-rally-approved-for-d-c-in-august|url-status=live}}</ref> The rally drew only 20–30 protesters amidst thousands of counter-protesters,<ref name= "HeimThebaultJamisonLang">{{cite news|first1=Joe|last1=Heim|first2=Reis|last2=Thebault|first3=Peter|last3=Jamison|first4=Marissa|last4=Lang|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/washington-readies-for-todays-planned-white-supremacist-rally-near-white-house/2018/08/12/551720c4-9c28-11e8-8d5e-c6c594024954_story.html|title=Anti-hate protesters far outnumber white supremacists as groups rally near White House|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=2018-08-12|access-date=August 31, 2018|archive-date=April 1, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190401184550/https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/washington-readies-for-todays-planned-white-supremacist-rally-near-white-house/2018/08/12/551720c4-9c28-11e8-8d5e-c6c594024954_story.html|url-status=live}}</ref> including ]s, ] groups, and ] organizers.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://baptistnews.com/article/black-white-baptists-to-counter-d-c-alt-right-rally-with-prayer-walk-communion|title=Black, white Baptists to counter D.C. alt-right rally with prayer walk, communion|last=Allen|first=Bob|date=2018-08-08|website=]|access-date=2018-08-08|archive-date=October 20, 2019|archive-url=https://archive.today/20191020203255/https://baptistnews.com/article/black-white-baptists-to-counter-d-c-alt-right-rally-with-prayer-walk-communion/%23.XazEYtLLfK4|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/a-year-after-charlottesville-the-alt-right-movement-frays-1533720660|title=A Year After Charlottesville, the Alt-Right Movement Frays|last=McWhirter|first=Cameron|date=2018-08-08|work=Wall Street Journal|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180808123329/https://www.wsj.com/articles/a-year-after-charlottesville-the-alt-right-movement-frays-1533720660|archive-date=2018-08-08|url-status=dead|access-date=2018-08-08}}</ref> | |||
==Background== | |||
] in what was then known as Lee Park]] | |||
In the wake of the ] in June 2015, efforts were made across ] to ] from public spaces and rename streets honoring notable figures from the ]. While often successful, these efforts faced a backlash from people concerned about protecting their Confederate heritage.<ref name=Vox/> The August 11–12 Unite the Right rally was organized by Charlottesville native and white supremacist ]<ref name=Vox/><ref>{{cite news|last=Thompson|first=A.C.|url=https://www.propublica.org/article/things-got-left-out-of-the-daily-callers-report-confederate-monument-rally|title=A Few Things Got Left Out of The Daily Caller's Report on Confederate Monument Rally|work=]|date=2017-05-31|access-date=2021-10-25|archive-date=October 19, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171019095028/https://www.propublica.org/article/things-got-left-out-of-the-daily-callers-report-confederate-monument-rally|url-status=live}}</ref> to protest the Charlottesville City Council's decision to remove the ] honoring the ], as well as the renaming of the statue's eponymous park (renamed to Emancipation Park in June 2017, and again to ] in 2018).<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2017/08/03/bickering-galore-precedes-%E2%80%9Cunite-right%E2%80%9D-rally|first=Bill|last=Morlin|title=Bickering Galore Precedes 'Unite the Right' Rally|publisher=Southern Poverty Law Center|access-date=2017-08-07|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170807152350/https://www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2017/08/03/bickering-galore-precedes-%E2%80%9Cunite-right%E2%80%9D-rally|date=2017-08-03|archive-date=2017-08-07}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|first=Spencer|last=Culbertson|url=https://www.cavalierdaily.com/article/2017/07/another-right-wing-group-plans-event-for-aug-12|date=2017-07-25|title=Another right-wing group plans event for Aug. 12|work=The Cavalier Daily|access-date=2017-08-07|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170807152819/http://www.cavalierdaily.com/article/2017/07/another-right-wing-group-plans-event-for-aug-12|archive-date=2017-08-07}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.dailyprogress.com/news/local/city/charlottesville-city-council-changes-the-names-of-two-renamed-parks/article_9ac64d52-8963-11e8-853a-a3864982745e.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180718044209/https://dailyprogress.com/news/local/city/charlottesville-city-council-changes-the-names-of-two-renamed-parks/article_9ac64d52-8963-11e8-853a-a3864982745e.html|archive-date=2018-07-18|url-status=live|title=Charlottesville City Council changes the names of two renamed parks|date=2018-07-16|work=The Daily Progress|access-date=2019-05-04}}</ref> Kessler took up the cause in March 2016 when then Charlottesville Vice Mayor Wes Bellamy held a press conference to call for removal of the statue. Kessler called Bellamy "anti-white" and the demand to remove the statue an effort to "attack white history".<ref>{{cite news|last=Balingit|first=Moriah|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/education/wp/2016/12/01/virginia-board-of-education-member-resigns-after-vulgar-tweets-surface/|title=Virginia Board of Education member resigns after vulgar tweets surface|newspaper=]|date=2016-12-01|access-date=2021-10-25|archive-date=October 17, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211017233819/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/education/wp/2016/12/01/virginia-board-of-education-member-resigns-after-vulgar-tweets-surface/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Saurez1">{{cite news|url=https://dailyprogress.com/news/local/unite-the-right-rally-attracting-increasingly-radical-attention/article_b6504ea6-6f42-11e7-bd6b-2f345970b4ea.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170724170046/https://dailyprogress.com/news/local/unite-the-right-rally-attracting-increasingly-radical-attention/article_b6504ea6-6f42-11e7-bd6b-2f345970b4ea.html|title=Unite the Right rally attracting increasingly radical attention|first=Chris|last=Suarez|work=The Daily Progress|date=2017-07-27|access-date=2017-08-21|archive-date=2017-07-24}}</ref><ref name="Heim">{{cite news|first=Joe|last=Heim|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/charlottesville-readies-for-a-white-nationalist-rally-on-saturday/2017/08/10/cff4786e-7c49-11e7-83c7-5bd5460f0d7e_story.html|title=Charlottesville prepares for a white nationalist rally on Saturday|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170813110813/https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/charlottesville-readies-for-a-white-nationalist-rally-on-saturday/2017/08/10/cff4786e-7c49-11e7-83c7-5bd5460f0d7e_story.html|archive-date=2017-08-13|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=2017-08-10}}</ref> Lee Park became the site of numerous neo-Confederate events throughout the spring of 2017, including a campaign rally by Virginia Republican gubernatorial candidate ], which further politicized this public space.<ref name="nyt94" /><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/13/us/charlottesville-rally-protest-statue.html|access-date=2017-08-13|date=2017-08-13|title=The Statue at the Center of Charlottesville's Storm|first=Jacey|last=Fortin|newspaper=]|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170814063658/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/13/us/charlottesville-rally-protest-statue.html|archive-date=2017-08-14}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.richmond.com/news/virginia/gop-s-corey-stewart-rallies-against-charlottesville-lee-statue-s/article_c3fb1640-8918-5489-8f03-9a23d9ef78d5.html|title=GOP's Corey Stewart rallies against Charlottesville Lee statue's removal|last=Seal|first=Dean|date=2017-02-22|work=Richmond Times-Dispatch|access-date=2019-10-20|archive-date=September 19, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210919020336/https://richmond.com/news/virginia/gop-s-corey-stewart-rallies-against-charlottesville-lee-statue-s/article_c3fb1640-8918-5489-8f03-9a23d9ef78d5.html|url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
===Summer rallies in Charlottesville=== | |||
On May 13, 2017, ] Chairman and white supremacist ] led a nighttime rally in Charlottesville to protest the city's plans to remove the statue of Lee. The event involved over 100 protesters, from various alt-right groups from around the country, chanting "You will not replace us!", "Jews will not replace us!"<ref>{{cite web|title="You will not replace us": a French philosopher explains the Charlottesville chant|url=https://www.vox.com/world/2017/8/15/16141456/renaud-camus-the-great-replacement-you-will-not-replace-us-charlottesville-white|last=Wildman|first=Sarah|date=2017-08-15|website=Vox|access-date=2020-05-08|archive-date=April 23, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190423163008/https://www.vox.com/world/2017/8/15/16141456/renaud-camus-the-great-replacement-you-will-not-replace-us-charlottesville-white|url-status=live}}</ref> and "Russia is our friend!" while holding lit ]es near the statue, a spectacle which many Charlottesville residents found intimidating, and which the mayor denounced as a "harken back to the days of the ]."<ref name="May">{{cite news|last=Griggs|first=Brandon|url=https://www.cnn.com/2017/05/15/us/charlottesville-lee-monument-spencer-protests-trnd/index.html|title=Protests over Confederate statue shake Charlottesville, Virginia|work=]|date=2017-05-15|access-date=2017-08-12|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170813012811/http://www.cnn.com/2017/05/15/us/charlottesville-lee-monument-spencer-protests-trnd/index.html|archive-date=2017-08-13}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/charlottesville-protest-richard-spender-kkk-robert-e-lee-statue/|title=Mayor: Torch-lit protest in Charlottesville, Va. "harkens back to the days of the KKK"|date=2017-05-15|work=CBS News|access-date=2019-10-20|archive-date=April 17, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210417213249/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/charlottesville-protest-richard-spender-kkk-robert-e-lee-statue/|url-status=live}}</ref> The next night, hundreds of anti-racist Charlottesville residents held a ] in response.<ref>{{cite news|title=Group Holds "Take Back Lee Park Rally" in Response to Torchlit Protest|date=2017-05-14|url=https://www.nbc29.com/story/35426536/group-holds-take-back-lee-park-rally-in-response-to-torchlight-protest|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170516175146/https://www.nbc29.com/story/35426536/group-holds-take-back-lee-park-rally-in-response-to-torchlight-protest/|archive-date=2017-05-16|work=NBC29 WVIR-TV|access-date=2019-10-20|url-status=dead}}</ref> Throughout early to mid-2017, tensions mounted as neo-Confederate and alt-right groups' sporadic gatherings in Charlottesville's downtown parks and ] were confronted by ] activists, resulting in occasional scuffles and some arrests.<ref>{{cite news|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170531194924/https://www.nbc29.com/story/35555623/charlottesville-religious-groups-rally-for-peace-at-lee-park|archive-date=2017-05-31|url-status=dead|url=https://www.nbc29.com/story/35555623/charlottesville-religious-groups-rally-for-peace-at-lee-park|title=Charlottesville Religious Groups Rally for Peace at Lee Park|date=2017-05-31|work=NBC29 WVIR-TV|access-date=2019-10-20}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.c-ville.com/tactical-change-not-grandpas-protest/|title=Tactical change: Not your grandpa's protest|last=Provence|first=Lisa|date=2017-05-31|work=C-Ville Weekly News|access-date=2019-10-20|archive-date=April 17, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210417222658/https://www.c-ville.com/tactical-change-not-grandpas-protest/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://wina.com/news/064460-jason-kessler-proud-boys-take-to-downtown-mall/|title=Jason Kessler, Proud Boys take to Downtown Mall|date=2017-06-18|work=News Radio WINA 98.9 FM|access-date=2019-10-20|archive-date=April 17, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210417220954/https://wina.com/news/064460-jason-kessler-proud-boys-take-to-downtown-mall/|url-status=live}}</ref> On July 8, 2017, the ], a group from ], held a rally at the ] statue in Charlottesville.<ref name="Lord2017">{{cite web|url=https://www.umnews.org/en/news/clergy-stand-up-to-charlottesville-kkk-rally|title=Clergy stand up to Charlottesville KKK rally|last=Lord|first=Richard|date=2017-06-11|publisher=The United Methodist Church|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170813231822/http://www.umc.org/news-and-media/clergy-stand-up-to-charlottesville-kkk-rally|archive-date=2017-08-13|access-date=2017-08-13}}</ref> In opposition to the rally, the ] created a ] two blocks from the Klan rally at ], which was used by over 600 people.<ref name="Lord2017" /> About 50 Klan members were drowned out by 1,000 counterprotesters (including 23 ] activists arrested for attempting to block the Klan group's entry into the park), who gathered at a loud but nonviolent rally dubbed by anti-racist organizers as the "#BlocKKKParty".<ref name="McKenzie" /><ref>{{cite news|url=https://wset.com/news/local/charlottesville-hosts-unity-day-events-ahead-of-planned-kkk-rally|title=Charlottesville hosts Unity Day events ahead of planned KKK rally|last=Stewart|first=Courteney|date=2017-07-08|work=ABC13 News|access-date=2019-10-20|archive-date=April 17, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210417212233/https://wset.com/news/local/charlottesville-hosts-unity-day-events-ahead-of-planned-kkk-rally|url-status=live}}</ref> After the Klan group's departure the Charlottesville Police Department declared the remaining counterprotesters to be an unlawful assembly, and ordered their dispersal{{snd}}an order which, given the din of the crowd and the ] hovering overhead, went unheard by many in the crowd. Although the Charlottesville chief of police had denied permission for the measure, the ] acted upon an order and fired three ] canisters into a group of counterprotesters. Police and city government officials later defended the action, which anti-racist counter-demonstrators and legal observer organizations characterized as ]. The resulting mistrust between law enforcement and local activists clouded the remainder of the summer, setting the stage for the August 12 Unite the Right rally.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.c-ville.com/rashomon-effect-police-chief-defends-tear-gas-activists-allege-police-brutality/|title=Rashomon effect: Police chief defends tear gas; activists allege police brutality|last=Provence|first=Lisa|date=2017-07-19|work=C-Ville Weekly|access-date=2019-10-20|archive-date=April 17, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210417212229/https://www.c-ville.com/rashomon-effect-police-chief-defends-tear-gas-activists-allege-police-brutality/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=":8">{{cite web|url=https://www.huntonak.com/images/content/3/4/v2/34613/final-report-ada-compliant-ready.pdf|title=Final Report: Independent Review of the 2017 Protest Events in Charlottesville, Virginia|date=December 2017|website=]|access-date=2021-10-27|archive-date=August 16, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210816213515/https://www.huntonak.com/images/content/3/4/v2/34613/final-report-ada-compliant-ready.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
===Protesters=== | |||
] | |||
{{Anchor|Protestors}}Among the far-right groups engaged in organizing the march were the Stormer Book Clubs (SBCs) of the neo-Nazi news website '']'',<ref name="CNET">{{cite news|last1=Kerr|first1=Dara|title=White supremacist parties? Airbnb says not in my house|url=https://www.cnet.com/uk/news/airbnb-says-no-white-supremacist-parties-in-my-house/|access-date=2017-08-10|date=2017-08-09|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170810043022/https://www.cnet.com/uk/news/airbnb-says-no-white-supremacist-parties-in-my-house/|archive-date=2017-08-10}}</ref> '']'',<ref>{{cite news|date=2017-08-14|url=https://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2017/08/14/charlottesville-white-supremacist-groups|work=]|title=Cooperation Between White Supremacist Groups Seen In Charlottesville. But Who Are They?|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170814223543/http://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2017/08/14/charlottesville-white-supremacist-groups|archive-date=2017-08-14}}</ref> the ],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.masslive.com/news/2017/08/what_happened_in_charlottesvil.html|first=Lucas|last=Ropek|title=What happened in Charlottesville today? Here's what you need to know|work=]|date=2017-08-12|access-date=2017-08-13|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170813183947/http://www.masslive.com/news/index.ssf/2017/08/what_happened_in_charlottesvil.html|archive-date=2017-08-13}}</ref> and four groups that form the ]:<ref name="McKenzie" /> the neo-Confederate ] and Identity Dixie,<ref name="McKenzie" /> the neo-Nazi groups ],<ref name="Linked3Deaths" /><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2019/07/17/retaking-everything-story-identity-dixie|title=Retaking Everything: The Story of Identity Dixie|work=]|access-date=2019-08-13|date=2019-07-17|archive-date=October 20, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211020113109/https://www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2019/07/17/retaking-everything-story-identity-dixie|url-status=live}}</ref> ],<ref name="Linked3Deaths">{{cite web|url=http://fox40.com/2017/08/12/car-crash-injures-at-least-seven-at-charlottesvilles-unite-the-right-rally/|title=Officials: White Nationalist Rally Linked to 3 Deaths, Suspect ID'd|work=fox40.com|agency=]|date=2017-08-12|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170813033852/http://fox40.com/2017/08/12/car-crash-injures-at-least-seven-at-charlottesvilles-unite-the-right-rally/|archive-date=2017-08-13}}</ref> and the ].<ref name="McKenzie">{{cite news|last1=McKenzie|first1=Bryan|title=City says permit will only be OK'd if rally is moved to McIntire Park|url=https://www.dailyprogress.com/news/local/city-says-permit-will-only-be-ok-d-if-rally/article_29f8e566-7baa-11e7-906d-63c9ea503128.html|access-date=2017-08-09|newspaper=]|date=2017-08-08|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210430214650/https://dailyprogress.com/news/local/city-says-permit-will-only-be-ok-d-if-rally/article_29f8e566-7baa-11e7-906d-63c9ea503128.html|archive-date=2021-04-30}}</ref> Other groups involved in the rally were the Ku Klux Klan (specifically the ] and the Confederate White Knights branches),<ref name="HeimWaPo" /><ref>{{cite news|url=https://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/386745-kkk-leader-found-guilty-of-firing-gun-during-charlottesville/|first=Morgan|last=Gsalter|title=KKK leader found guilty of firing gun during Charlottesville rally|newspaper=]|date=2018-05-05|access-date=2019-02-13|archive-date=April 8, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240408140731/https://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/386745-kkk-leader-found-guilty-of-firing-gun-during-charlottesville/|url-status=live}}</ref> the ],<ref name="Linked3Deaths" /> the neo-nazi White supremacist group ] (since rebranded as the 'American Identity Movement'),<ref name="Rankin">{{cite news|first=Sarah|last=Rankin|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/ct-unite-the-right-charlottesville-20170812-story.html|title=3 dead, dozens injured, amid violent white nationalist rally in Virginia|agency=Associated Press|date=2017-08-13|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170813011544/http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/ct-unite-the-right-charlottesville-20170812-story.html|archive-date=2017-08-13}}</ref> the ]-based fight club ],<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.ocweekly.com/profile-on-rise-above-movement-exposes-violent-hate-group-8514467/|title=Hate Group's Violent Actions in OC and Beyond Exposed in ProPublica Feature|last=Roman|first=Gabriel San|date=2017-10-20|work=OC Weekly|access-date=2017-10-20|archive-date=November 4, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211104213346/https://www.ocweekly.com/profile-on-rise-above-movement-exposes-violent-hate-group-8514467/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.propublica.org/article/white-hate-group-campaign-of-menace-rise-above-movement|title=Racist, violent, unpunished: A white hate group's campaign of menace|date=2017-10-19|work=]|first1=A.C.|last1=Thompson|first2=Ali|last2=Winston|first3=Darwin|last3=BondGraham|access-date=2017-10-20|archive-date=March 22, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210322220823/https://www.propublica.org/article/white-hate-group-campaign-of-menace-rise-above-movement|url-status=live}}</ref> the ],<ref name="groups">{{cite web|url=https://www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2017/08/12/flags-and-other-symbols-used-far-right-groups-charlottesville|title=Flags and Other Symbols Used By Far-Right Groups in Charlottesville|website=Hatewatch|publisher=Southern Poverty Law Center|date=2017-08-12|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170813181324/https://www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2017/08/12/flags-and-other-symbols-used-far-right-groups-charlottesville|archive-date=2017-08-13}}</ref> the Detroit Right Wings{{snd}}who were condemned by the ] ] team for their use of the team's logo,<ref>{{cite news|work=]|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2017/08/13/swastika-use-rise-nazis-trump-charlottesville-violence/104488402/|first=Rick|last=Hampson|title=Swastika use is on the rise, but among those who understand it least|date=2017-08-13|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170817130835/https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2017/08/13/swastika-use-rise-nazis-trump-charlottesville-violence/104488402/|archive-date=2017-08-17}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Jhaveri|first1=Hemal|title=Why white supremacy marchers in Charlottesville are using the Detroit Red Wings logo|url=https://ftw.usatoday.com/2017/08/charlottesville-white-supremacy-marchers-detroit-red-wings-logo|access-date=2021-10-08|work=USA Today|date=2017-08-12|archive-date=November 7, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211107003629/https://ftw.usatoday.com/2017/08/charlottesville-white-supremacy-marchers-detroit-red-wings-logo|url-status=live}}</ref> True Cascadia,<ref>{{cite news|work=]|first1=A.C.|last1=Thompson|first2=Karim|last2=Hajj|title=Clean Cut Frat-Boys Are The New Face of White Supremacists|url=https://www.newsweek.com/clean-cut-frat-boys-are-new-face-white-supremacists-650816|date=2017-08-15|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170816071903/http://www.newsweek.com/clean-cut-frat-boys-are-new-face-white-supremacists-650816|archive-date=2017-08-16}}</ref> the ]-based ARM (Alt-Right ]) and Hammer Brothers,<ref>{{cite news|work=]|title=Daily Stormer Propagandist 'Zeiger' Exposed as Montreal Fascist Organizer Gabriel Sohier-Chaput|url=https://unicornriot.ninja/2018/daily-stormer-propagandist-zeiger-exposed-as-montreal-fascist-organizer-gabriel-sohier-chaput/|date=2018-05-05|access-date=2021-10-08|archive-date=October 8, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211008210729/https://unicornriot.ninja/2018/daily-stormer-propagandist-zeiger-exposed-as-montreal-fascist-organizer-gabriel-sohier-chaput/|url-status=live}}</ref> and ].<ref name="groups" /> | |||
Prominent far-right figures in attendance included Spencer,<ref name="nbc29" /> entertainer and ] ],<ref name="nbc29">{{cite news|url=http://www.nbc29.com/story/35996322/charlottesville-groups-send-out-call-to-action-against-upcoming-rally|title=Charlottesville Groups Send Out 'Call to Action' Against Upcoming Rally|access-date=2017-08-07|url-status=dead|work=NBC29|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170807192054/http://www.nbc29.com/story/35996322/charlottesville-groups-send-out-call-to-action-against-upcoming-rally|archive-date=2017-08-07}}</ref> lawyer ],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/boston-blocks-free-speech-rally-tells-organizers-dont-want-you-here|first=Nicole|last=Lafond|title=Boston Blocks Free Speech Rally, Tells Organizers: We Don't Want You Here|work=]|date=2017-08-15|access-date=May 13, 2024|archive-date=November 4, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211104213130/https://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/boston-blocks-free-speech-rally-tells-organizers-dont-want-you-here|url-status=live}}</ref> former Ku Klux Klan ] ],<ref>{{cite news|title=David Duke: Charlottesville protests about 'fulfilling promises of Donald Trump'|date=2017-08-12|work=]|url=https://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/346326-david-duke-charlottesville-protests-about-fulfilling-promises/|first=Julia|last=Manchester|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170813071135/http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/346326-david-duke-charlottesville-protests-about-fulfilling-promises|archive-date=2017-08-13}}</ref> Identity Evropa leader ],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.newsweek.com/unite-right-charlottesville-nathan-damigo-trump-651266|first=Conor|last=Gaffey|title=The families of Unite the Right participants are disavowing them|date=2017-08-16|website=Newsweek|access-date=May 13, 2024|archive-date=November 2, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211102003042/https://www.newsweek.com/unite-right-charlottesville-nathan-damigo-trump-651266|url-status=live}}</ref> ] leader ],<ref name="nbc29" /> ''Right Stuff'' founder ],<ref name="nbc29" /> Joshua Jordan (otherwise known as Eric Striker) of '']'' and the Traditionalist Workers Party,<ref name="Guardian">{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/feb/17/americas-far-right-white-supremacists-nationalism|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180217112250/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/feb/17/americas-far-right-white-supremacists-nationalism|url-status=dead|archive-date=2018-02-17|title=America's dark underbelly: I watched the rise of white nationalism|newspaper=]|date=2018-02-17}}</ref> League of the South founder and leader ],<ref name="nationalview" /> '']'' host and founder Henrik Palmgren,<ref>{{cite news|work=]|title=Svenska högerextremister på plats i Charlottesville|date=2017-08-14|url=https://www.dn.se/nyheter/varlden/svenska-hogerextremister-pa-plats-i-charlottesville/|language=sv|access-date=2021-10-08|archive-date=October 8, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211008220220/https://www.dn.se/nyheter/varlden/svenska-hogerextremister-pa-plats-i-charlottesville/|url-status=live}}</ref> '']'' commentator ],<ref>{{cite news|work=]|title=Rebel Media: the Canadian website that Mark Latham now calls home|date=2017-11-08|url=https://www.smh.com.au/world/rebel-media-the-canadian-website-that-mark-latham-now-calls-home-20171026-gz8gbg.html|first=Michael|last=Colborne|access-date=April 12, 2018|archive-date=April 17, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210417213943/https://www.smh.com.au/world/rebel-media-the-canadian-website-that-mark-latham-now-calls-home-20171026-gz8gbg.html|url-status=live}}</ref> '']'' host ],<ref name="mediaiteprotest">{{cite news|work=]|url=https://www.mediaite.com/online/alt-right-protesters-tell-mediaite-why-they-marched-a-step-toward-gop-becoming-party-for-whites/|first=Caleb|last=Ecarma|title=Alt-Right Protesters Tell Mediaite Why They Marched: 'A Step Toward GOP Becoming Party for Whites'|date=2017-08-12|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170817035100/https://www.mediaite.com/online/alt-right-protesters-tell-mediaite-why-they-marched-a-step-toward-gop-becoming-party-for-whites/|archive-date=2017-08-17}}</ref> ] ],<ref name="mediaiteprotest" /> '']'' European editor ],<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/white-nationalists-give-up-trying-to-be-respectable-1502660099|first=Benjamin R.|last=Teitelbaum|work=]|title=White Nationalists Give Up Trying to Be Respectable|date=2017-08-13|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170814060606/https://www.wsj.com/articles/white-nationalists-give-up-trying-to-be-respectable-1502660099|archive-date=2017-08-14}}</ref> former '']'' ] Pax Dickinson,<ref name="ADL" />{{fv|date=October 2024}} ''Right Stuff'' blogger Johnny Monoxide,<ref>{{cite news|work=]|url=https://www.sfexaminer.com/news/sf-electrician-no-longer-employed-after-scheduled-speech-at-charlottesville-white-supremacist-rally/|first=Michael|last=Barba|date=2017-08-16|title=SF electrician no longer employed after scheduled speech at Charlottesville white supremacist rally|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170817101127/http://www.sfexaminer.com/sf-electrician-no-longer-employed-scheduled-speech-charlottesville-white-supremacist-rally/|archive-date=2017-08-17}}</ref> ''Daily Stormer'' writers Robert "Azzmador" Ray and Gabriel "Zeiger" Sohier-Chaput,<ref>{{cite news|title=Viral Charlottesville report puts HBO's 'Vice News Tonight' on the map|url=https://www.inquirer.com/philly/entertainment/television/charlottesville-vice-news-elle-reeve-christopher-cantwell-hbo-20170816.html|date=2017-08-16|first=Ellen|last=Gray|work=]|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170816234539/http://www.philly.com/philly/entertainment/television/charlottesville-vice-news-elle-reeve-christopher-cantwell-hbo-20170816.html|archive-date=2017-08-16}}</ref> '']'' contributor and rally organizer ],<ref>{{cite news|work=]|title=Who Are The Alt-Right Leaders Addressing The White Nationalist Rally in Charlottesville?|url=https://www.newsweek.com/alt-right-leaders-are-addressing-largest-white-nationalist-rally-decades-650096|first=Tom|last=Porter|date=2017-08-12|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170813192729/http://www.newsweek.com/alt-right-leaders-are-addressing-largest-white-nationalist-rally-decades-650096|archive-date=2017-08-13}}</ref> and ''Radical Agenda'' host ].<ref>{{cite news|work=]|url=http://www.nbc29.com/story/36116210/albemarle-county-police-respond-to-incident-at-walmart|title=Albemarle County Police Respond to Confrontation at Walmart|date=2017-08-11|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170813223933/http://www.nbc29.com/story/36116210/albemarle-county-police-respond-to-incident-at-walmart|archive-date=2017-08-13}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://gizmodo.com/the-alt-right-goes-panhandling-1797465499|date=2017-08-03|first=Bryan|last=Menegus|title=The Alt-Right Goes Panhandling|publisher=gizmodo.com|access-date=2017-08-07|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170806151136/http://gizmodo.com/the-alt-right-goes-panhandling-1797465499|archive-date=2017-08-06}}</ref> | |||
], the leader of the self-described "Western chauvinist" ] was invited to attend but declined because of an unwillingness "to be associated with explicit neo-Nazis" although the militia wing of the group, the aforementioned Fraternal Order of the Alt-Knights, did attend.<ref name=":6">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/14/us/white-supremacists-right-wing-extremists-richard-spencer.html|title=Far Right Plans Its Next Moves With a New Energy|last=Feuer|first=Alan|date=2017-08-14|work=]|url-status=live|archive-url=https://archive.today/20171009201548/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/14/us/white-supremacists-right-wing-extremists-richard-spencer.html|archive-date=2017-10-09|url-access=limited}}</ref> In June, according to the ]'s Hatewatch blog, ahead of the rally, McInnes declared that "we need to distance ourselves from them", but "after backlash to the original disavowal flared-up from Alt-Right circles, the statement was withdrawn and replaced with another distancing the Proud Boys from the event yet also encouraging those who 'feel compelled' to attend".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2017/08/10/do-you-want-bigots-gavin-because-how-you-get-bigots|url-status=live|title=Do You Want Bigots, Gavin? Because This Is How You Get Bigots|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170816061459/https://www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2017/08/10/do-you-want-bigots-gavin-because-how-you-get-bigots|archive-date=2017-08-16|work=Hatewatch|publisher=]|date=2017-08-10}}</ref> | |||
] later rose to fame after being photographed in the most widely recognized images of the protest.<ref name=":12">{{cite web|last=Zhu|first=Alissa|date=2017-08-16|title=Southwest Missouri man identified as Charlottesville demonstrator in viral photo|url=https://www.news-leader.com/story/news/local/ozarks/2017/08/16/southwest-missouri-man-identified-charlottesville-demonstrator-viral-photo/568931001/|access-date=2023-02-15|website=]|language=en-US|archive-date=February 15, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230215062149/https://www.news-leader.com/story/news/local/ozarks/2017/08/16/southwest-missouri-man-identified-charlottesville-demonstrator-viral-photo/568931001/|url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
] cancelled a number of bookings and accounts when it learned that they were being used by attendees at the rally, citing a request that users endorse a commitment to "accept people regardless of their race, religion, national origin, ethnicity, disability, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, or age".<ref name="Engel">{{cite news|last1=Bromwich|first1=Jonah Engel|title=Airbnb Cancels Accounts Linked to White Nationalist Rally in Charlottesville|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/09/us/airbnb-white-nationalists-supremacists.html|newspaper=The New York Times|date=2017-08-09|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170810212541/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/09/us/airbnb-white-nationalists-supremacists.html|archive-date=2017-08-10}}</ref> | |||
In February 2023, the city of Enid, Oklahoma, elected Judson Blevins, a participant in the rally and a former Oklahoma organizer for Identity Evropa, to its city commission.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.enidnews.com/news/mason-blevins-win-enid-elections-ward-2-to-have-runoff/article_c2f5f904-ace4-11ed-9285-3750ec8786a6.html|title=Mason, Blevins win Enid elections; Ward 2 to have runoff|first=Kelci McKendrick {{pipe}} Enid News &|last=Eagle|website=Enidnews.com|date=2023-02-14|access-date=May 13, 2024|archive-date=April 4, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240404060715/https://www.enidnews.com/news/mason-blevins-win-enid-elections-ward-2-to-have-runoff/article_c2f5f904-ace4-11ed-9285-3750ec8786a6.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.enidnews.com/news/city-candidate-accused-of-white-nationalist-ties/article_bf10f03e-8ec9-11ed-8adb-7f95a65657d8.html|title=City candidate accused of white nationalist ties|first=Kelci McKendrick {{pipe}} Enid News &|last=Eagle|website=Enidnews.com|date=2023-01-07}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rawstory.com/identity-evropa/|title=Former Identity Evropa state coordinator runs for city council in Oklahoma - Raw Story - Celebrating 18 Years of Independent Journalism|website=www.rawstory.com|access-date=May 13, 2024|archive-date=February 4, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240204225615/https://www.rawstory.com/identity-evropa/|url-status=live}}</ref> Blevins has faced opposition from the community since taking office in May 2023.<ref name="News6Tulsa">{{cite news|last1=Stein|first1=Deanne|title=Enid city commissioner with alleged ties to hate groups could face recall election|url=https://www.newson6.com/story/654b00d768ddba082c23d86f/enid-city-commissioner-with-alleged-ties-to-hate-groups-could-face-recall-election|access-date=2023-11-24|agency=News on 6|date=2023-11-07|archive-date=November 24, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231124224221/https://www.newson6.com/story/654b00d768ddba082c23d86f/enid-city-commissioner-with-alleged-ties-to-hate-groups-could-face-recall-election|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="WoodwardNews">{{cite news|last1=Hefton|first1=Billy|title=Updated: Enid police investigating if city commissioner's brake lines were cut|url=https://www.woodwardnews.net/oklahoma/news/updated-enid-police-investigating-if-city-commissioners-brake-lines-were-cut/article_cacda115-1834-51dc-84ef-e10fcca64315.html|access-date=2023-11-24|agency=Woodward News|date=2023-11-20|archive-date=November 24, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231124224221/https://www.woodwardnews.net/oklahoma/news/updated-enid-police-investigating-if-city-commissioners-brake-lines-were-cut/article_cacda115-1834-51dc-84ef-e10fcca64315.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Carter">{{cite news|last1=Carter|first1=Scott|title=An Oklahoma town has been struggling with voter apathy, white nationalism on a national stage|url=https://www.oklahoman.com/story/news/politics/government/2023/11/16/enid-ok-judd-blevins-election-white-nationalism-voter-apathy/71486830007/|access-date=2023-11-24|agency=The Daily Oklahoman|date=2023-11-16|archive-date=May 13, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240513040817/https://subscribe.oklahoman.com/restricted?return=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.oklahoman.com%2Fstory%2Fnews%2Fpolitics%2Fgovernment%2F2023%2F11%2F16%2Fenid-ok-judd-blevins-election-white-nationalism-voter-apathy%2F71486830007%2F&gps-source=CPROADBLOCKDH|url-status=live}}</ref> Although city commissioners tabled a measure to censure Blevins, citizens collected enough signatures for a recall election in April 2024.<ref name="NBCBlevins" /><ref name="News9OKC">{{cite news|last1=Fremstad|first1=Jordan|title=Enid city leaders table censure measure against commissioner with alleged white supremacist ties|url=https://www.news9.com/story/655d7a3b8f221f06bc3ec864/enid-leaders-table-censure-measure-against-commissioner-with-alleged-white-supremacist-ties|access-date=2023-11-24|agency=News 9|date=2023-11-21|archive-date=May 13, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240513041103/https://www.news9.com/story/655d7a3b8f221f06bc3ec864/enid-leaders-table-censure-measure-against-commissioner-with-alleged-white-supremacist-ties|url-status=live}}</ref> Retired pastor and former Republican congressional candidate ] is among Blevins' supporters.<ref name="Carter" /><ref name="NBCBlevins">{{cite news|last1=Zadrozny|first1=Brandy|title=A small city in Oklahoma elected a white nationalist. Will it be able to vote him out?|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/oklahoma-recall-vote-judd-blevins-enid-city-council-rcna143041|access-date=2024-03-13|agency=NBC News|date=2024-03-13|archive-date=May 13, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240513041116/https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/oklahoma-recall-vote-judd-blevins-enid-city-council-rcna143041|url-status=live}}</ref> Blevins lost the recall, by 268 votes.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Mathias |first1=Christopher |title=Judson Blevins, City Councilman With Neo-Nazi Ties, Loses Recall Election |url=https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/judson-blevins-city-councilman-with-neo-nazi-ties-loses-recall-election/ar-BB1kYkD1 |access-date=3 April 2024 |work=www.msn.com |date=3 April 2024 |archive-date=May 13, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240513041110/https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/judson-blevins-city-councilman-with-neo-nazi-ties-loses-recall-election/ar-BB1kYkD1 |url-status=live }}</ref> | |||
===Militias=== | |||
Numerous armed, right-wing ] were present at the rally, claiming to be there to protect the ] rights of the demonstrators. Groups involved included the Pennsylvania Light Foot Militia,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://rewirenewsgroup.com/article/2017/08/11/charlottesville-virginia-readies-hate-group-rally/|first=Jackson|last=Landers|title=Charlottesville, Virginia Readies for Hate Group Rally|publisher=]|date=2017-08-11|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170813143555/https://rewire.news/article/2017/08/11/charlottesville-virginia-readies-hate-group-rally/|archive-date=2017-08-13}}</ref> the ],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://triblive.com/local/westmoreland/12620460-74/new-derry-man-who-led-militia-in-charlottesville-clash-condemns-white-supremacists|website=Pittsburgh Tribune-Review|date=2017-08-14|title=New Derry man who led militia in Charlottesville clash condemns white supremacists|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170815063757/http://triblive.com/local/westmoreland/12620460-74/new-derry-man-who-led-militia-in-charlottesville-clash-condemns-white-supremacists|archive-date=2017-08-15}}</ref> the Virginia Minutemen Militia,<ref>{{cite news|work=]|url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/aug/15/charlottesville-militia-free-speech-violence|first=Joanna|last=Walters|title=Militia leaders who descended on Charlottesville condemn 'rightwing lunatics'|date=2017-08-15|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170815215825/https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/aug/15/charlottesville-militia-free-speech-violence|archive-date=2017-08-15}}</ref> and the ].<ref>{{cite news|publisher=]|work=NewsHour|url=https://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/white-nationalists-see-violent-charlottesville-rally-successful-turning-point/|title=White nationalists see violent Charlottesville rally as successful turning point|date=2017-08-14|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170815041150/http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/white-nationalists-see-violent-charlottesville-rally-successful-turning-point/|archive-date=2017-08-15}}</ref> | |||
===Counter-protesters=== | |||
] | |||
Those who marched in opposition to the rally were unified in opposition to white supremacy, but "espoused a wide array of ideological beliefs, preferred tactics and political goals. A large number were ordinary residents of Charlottesville who wanted to show their disdain for white supremacist groups, particularly after the Ku Klux Klan held a rally in the city on July 8."<ref name="Stockman">{{cite news|first=Farah|last=Stockman|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/14/us/who-were-the-counterprotesters-in-charlottesville.html|title=Who Were the Counterprotesters in Charlottesville?|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170815200823/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/14/us/who-were-the-counterprotesters-in-charlottesville.html|archive-date=2017-08-15|newspaper=The New York Times|date=2017-08-14}}</ref> Ahead of the rally, an array of "faith-based groups, ] organizations, local businesses, and faculty and students at the ]" planned counterprotests.<ref name="Heim" /> In July 2017, the ] and ] clergy group Congregate Charlottesville called for a thousand members of the clergy to counterprotest at the rally.<ref name="McKenzie" /><ref>{{cite web|first=Chris|last=Suarez|url=https://dailyprogress.com/news/local/group-calls-for-faith-leaders-to-protest-aug-rally/article_03c12494-7650-11e7-af2b-03239d27aa3a.html|title=Group calls for 1,000 faith leaders to protest on Saturday, Aug. 12 rally|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170801024807/http://www.dailyprogress.com/news/local/group-calls-for-faith-leaders-to-protest-aug-rally/article_03c12494-7650-11e7-af2b-03239d27aa3a.html|archive-date=2017-08-01|date=2017-07-31}}</ref> The Charlottesville House of Prayer also gathered at the site to pray. Groups counterprotesting included representatives from the ],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://nationalcouncilofchurches.us/reflections-from-charlottesville/|title=Reflections from Charlottesville|last=Martin|first=Steven|date=2017-08-14|publisher=]|access-date=2017-08-14|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170815024947/http://nationalcouncilofchurches.us/reflections-from-charlottesville/|archive-date=2017-08-15}}</ref> ],<ref>{{cite web|last1=Owen|first1=Tess|title=Car slams into Black Lives Matter protesters in Charlottesville|date=2017-08-12|url=https://news.vice.com/story/armed-white-supremacists-march-in-charlottesville-state-of-emergency-declared|publisher=Vice News|access-date=2017-08-13|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170813053843/https://news.vice.com/story/armed-white-supremacists-march-in-charlottesville-state-of-emergency-declared|archive-date=2017-08-13}}</ref> ],<ref name="splcgroups">{{cite web|url=https://www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2017/08/12/charlottesville-driver-who-killed-one-rallied-alt-right-vanguard-america-group|title=Charlottesville Driver Who Killed One Rallied With Alt-Right Vanguard America Group|publisher=Southern Poverty Law Center|date=2017-07-20|access-date=2017-08-13|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170813074947/https://www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2017/08/12/charlottesville-driver-who-killed-one-rallied-alt-right-vanguard-america-group|archive-date=2017-08-13}}</ref> the ],<ref>{{cite news|first=Josh|last=Delk|url=https://thehill.com/homenews/news/346342-gofundme-for-comrades-injured-in-charlottesville-protests-raises-over-20k/|title=GoFundMe campaign raises nearly $80K for leftist protesters injured in Charlottesville|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210501042751/https://thehill.com/homenews/news/346342-gofundme-for-comrades-injured-in-charlottesville-protests-raises-over-20k|archive-date=2021-05-01|newspaper=]|url-status=live|date=2017-08-13}}</ref> the ],<ref>{{cite news|work=]|date=2017-08-12|title=Charlottesville Braces for White Nationalist Rally With National Guard Presence|first=Omar|last=Burgess|url=https://www.complex.com/life/2017/08/unite-the-right-rally-virginia|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170816070619/http://www.complex.com/life/2017/08/unite-the-right-rally-virginia|archive-date=2017-08-16}}</ref> the ],<ref>{{cite news|work=]|title=Charlottesville Reels After a White Supremacist Rally Turns Deadly|date=2017-08-13|url=https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/08/13/charlottesville-reels-after-a-white-supremacist-rally-turns-deadly-215484/|first=Ben|last=Schreckinger|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170816104923/http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/08/13/charlottesville-reels-after-a-white-supremacist-rally-turns-deadly-215484|archive-date=2017-08-16}}</ref> ],<ref>{{cite news|work=]|date=2017-08-12|title=Three dead, dozens hurt after Virginia white nationalist rally is dispersed; Trump blames 'many sides'|url=https://www.latimes.com/nation/nationnow/la-na-charlottesville-white-nationalists-rally-20170812-story.html|first1=Matt|last1=Pearce|first2=Robert|last2=Armengol|first3=David S.|last3=Cloud|access-date=May 13, 2024|archive-date=October 18, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211018164126/https://www.latimes.com/nation/nationnow/la-na-charlottesville-white-nationalists-rally-20170812-story.html|url-status=live}}</ref> ],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.newsleader.com/story/news/2017/08/12/armed-white-supremacists-counter-protesters-gather-charlottesville/561882001/|title=State of emergency declared as Charlottesville rally ends amidst brawls and chaos}}</ref> the ],<ref>{{cite news|newspaper=]|title=I went to counterprotest neo-Nazis in Charlottesville. I witnessed carnage.|date=2017-08-13|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/posteverything/wp/2017/08/13/i-went-to-counterprotest-neo-nazis-in-charlottesville-i-witnessed-carnage/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170814213552/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/posteverything/wp/2017/08/13/i-went-to-counterprotest-neo-nazis-in-charlottesville-i-witnessed-carnage/|archive-date=2017-08-14}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=The Misguided Attacks on ACLU for Defending Neo-Nazis' Free Speech Rights in Charlottesville|website=]|date=2017-08-13|url=https://theintercept.com/2017/08/13/the-misguided-attacks-on-aclu-for-defending-neo-nazis-free-speech-rights-in-charlottesville/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170814054819/https://theintercept.com/2017/08/13/the-misguided-attacks-on-aclu-for-defending-neo-nazis-free-speech-rights-in-charlottesville/|archive-date=2017-08-14}}</ref> the ],<ref>{{cite news|publisher=]|date=2017-08-13|title=Unite the Right: White supremacists rally in Virginia|url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/8/13/unite-the-right-white-supremacists-rally-in-virginia|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170812185803/http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/08/unite-white-supremacists-rally-virginia-170812142356688.html|archive-date=2017-08-12}}</ref> and ].<ref name="splcgroups" /><ref>{{cite news|work=]|date=2017-08-13|title=What Is Antifa? Anti-Fascism Protesters And White Power Groups Were Battling Long Before Charlottesville|url=https://www.newsweek.com/what-antifa-anti-fascism-protesters-and-white-power-groups-explained-650232|first=Christina|last=Silva|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170814083353/http://www.newsweek.com/what-antifa-anti-fascism-protesters-and-white-power-groups-explained-650232|archive-date=2017-08-14}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|work=]|title='Increasingly Nazified' white nationalist rally descends on Virginia amid expected protests|date=2017-08-12|url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/aug/12/nazi-white-nationalist-rallies-virginia-protests|first=Jason|last=Wilson|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170814020734/https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/aug/12/nazi-white-nationalist-rallies-virginia-protests|archive-date=2017-08-14}}</ref> Members of the ] movement were also in attendance.<ref name="nyt94">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/12/us/charlottesville-protest-white-nationalist.html|title=Man Charged After White Nationalist Rally in Charlottesville Ends in Deadly Violence|last1=Stolberg|first1=Sheryl Gay|date=2017-08-12|newspaper=]|access-date=2017-08-13|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170812215453/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/12/us/charlottesville-protest-white-nationalist.html|archive-date=2017-08-12|last2=Rosenthal|first2=Brian M.|author-link=Sheryl Gay Stolberg|url-access=limited}}</ref> Some counter-protesters came armed.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Mondics|first1=Chris|title=In Charlottesville, some in the left came armed, too|url=https://www.inquirer.com/philly/news/nation_world/charlottesville-leftists-armed-trump-antifa-20170816.html|date=2017-08-16|access-date=May 13, 2024|archive-date=April 17, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210417205947/https://www.inquirer.com/philly/news/nation_world/charlottesville-leftists-armed-trump-antifa-20170816.html|url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
===University and city preparations=== | |||
The rally was scheduled between the summer and fall terms of the University of Virginia (UVA).<ref name="Pearce" /> On August 4, the university's president, ], sent an email to students and faculty, which said, "I urge students and all UVA community members to avoid the August 12 rally and avoid physical confrontation generally. There is a credible risk of violence at this event, and your safety is my foremost concern."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nbc29.com/story/36064974/uva-president-wants-uva-community-to-avoid-unite-the-right|title=UVA President wants UVA Community to Avoid Unite the Right|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170807152516/http://www.nbc29.com/story/36064974/uva-president-wants-uva-community-to-avoid-unite-the-right|archive-date=2017-08-07|work=]|date=2017-08-04|url-status=dead}}</ref> The ] canceled all elective surgeries and preemptively activated its emergency response plan.<ref>{{cite web|last=McKenzie|first=Bryan|url=https://dailyprogress.com/news/local/police-prep-for-two-front-response-for-rally/article_6966afae-7e38-11e7-aca7-63c574abc7a9.html|title=Police prep for two-front response for rally|publisher=dailyprogress.com|date=2017-08-10|access-date=2017-08-16|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170811032229/http://www.dailyprogress.com/news/local/police-prep-for-two-front-response-for-rally/article_6966afae-7e38-11e7-aca7-63c574abc7a9.html|archive-date=2017-08-11}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.advisory.com/daily-briefing/2017/08/14/charlottesville-response|title=Terror in Charlottesville: How UVA Medical Center and other hospitals responded to this weekend's violence|publisher=The Advisory Board Company|access-date=2017-08-16|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170817040112/https://www.advisory.com/daily-briefing/2017/08/14/charlottesville-response|archive-date=2017-08-17}}</ref> Fearing possible violence, the Virginia Discovery Museum and some downtown businesses closed for the day of the rally.<ref name="McKenzie" /> | |||
] and Homeland Security ] said that the state had made a number of security recommendations to the city for the event, including banning weapons and sticks; designating certain parking areas, and blocking traffic for at least 10 blocks. The city did not enact any of these restrictions; city manager Maurice Jones said that city ordinances made it impossible for the city to enact some of the state's suggestions.<ref name="Robles">{{cite web|first=Frances|last=Robles|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/25/us/charlottesville-protest-police.html|title=As White Nationalist in Charlottesville Fired, Police 'Never Moved'|newspaper=The New York Times|date=2017-08-25|access-date=August 26, 2017|archive-date=July 30, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210730083334/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/25/us/charlottesville-protest-police.html|url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
== Timeline of events == | |||
===Permits and court case=== | |||
Organizer Jason Kessler applied for a permit from the City of Charlottesville to hold the event at Lee Park. The week before the event, the city government{{snd}}including Charlottesville mayor ], city council, City Manager Maurice Jones, and Police Chief Al Thomas{{snd}}said they would approve the permit only if the event was moved to the larger ].<ref name="McKenzie" /><ref name="AskMove">{{cite news|url=http://www.nbc29.com/story/36079665/charlottesville-press-conference-8-7-2017|title=Updated: Charlottesville Leaders Ask Kessler to Move Unite the Right Rally|work=WVIR|date=2017-08-07|url-status=dead|first=Henry|last=Graff|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170813182408/http://www.nbc29.com/story/36079665/charlottesville-press-conference-8-7-2017|archive-date=2017-08-13|access-date=2021-10-11}}</ref> The city's leaders cited safety concerns and logistical issues associated with holding the event at Lee Park, which is adjacent to the densely populated Downtown Mall.<ref name="AskMove" /> Kessler refused to relocate the rally, but the city overruled him and announced that the rally was to be moved to McIntire Park, a decision praised by the Downtown Business Association of Charlottesville.<ref name="AskMove" /><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.richmond.com/news/virginia/charlottesville-unite-the-right-rally-must-be-held-in-mcintire/article_914f8a93-e950-5b7a-aaee-068bc2251c94.html|title=Charlottesville: Unite the Right rally must be held in McIntire Park|last=Daily Progress staff reports|newspaper=Richmond Times-Dispatch|date=2017-08-07|access-date=2018-08-09|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170807222847/https://www.richmond.com/news/virginia/charlottesville-unite-the-right-rally-must-be-held-in-mcintire/article_914f8a93-e950-5b7a-aaee-068bc2251c94.html|archive-date=2017-08-07}}</ref> | |||
] after obtaining permission for the rally]] | |||
Kessler, supported by the ] and the ], sued the City of Charlottesville and Jones on ] grounds in the ]. On the evening of August 11, the night before the rally, Judge ] granted an emergency injunction declaring that the Unite the Right rally could go forward at Lee Park as originally planned.<ref name="Injunction">{{cite news|url=http://www.nbc29.com/story/36115819/judge-grants-injunction-jason-kessler-can-have-unite-the-right-rally-at-emancipation-park|title=Judge Grants Injunction, Jason Kessler Can Have Unite the Right Rally at Lee Park|date=2017-08-11|publisher=WVIR|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170813183759/http://www.nbc29.com/story/36115819/judge-grants-injunction-jason-kessler-can-have-unite-the-right-rally-at-emancipation-park|first=Henry|last=Graff|archive-date=2017-08-13}}</ref> Conrad cited several factors in his decision: that Lee Park was where the Robert E. Lee statue, the primary reason for the rally, was located; that resources would be needed at both parks for both the rally and the counterprotesters; and that the decision to move the rally to ] was due to the organizers' viewpoints and not the safety of the public.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.dailyprogress.com/news/local/judge-allows-unite-the-right-rally-to-stay-in-emancipation/article_9965d0be-7ee6-11e7-ab0e-f342e0cf9488.html|title=Judge allows Unite the Right rally to stay in Emancipation Park|newspaper=The Daily Progress|date=2017-08-15|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170812015234/https://dailyprogress.com/news/local/judge-allows-unite-the-right-rally-to-stay-in-emancipation/article_9965d0be-7ee6-11e7-ab0e-f342e0cf9488.html|archive-date=2017-08-12}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/dailyprogress.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/a/0d/a0dd4b66-7ef4-11e7-9bc7-7bf76b0826a6/598e4b5511e91.pdf.pdf|access-date=2017-08-14|title=Kessler v City of Charlottesville, Virginia, et al., ___ F. Supp. 3d ___, (W.D. Va. 2017)|website=Town news|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170814100145/https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/dailyprogress.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/a/0d/a0dd4b66-7ef4-11e7-9bc7-7bf76b0826a6/598e4b5511e91.pdf.pdf|archive-date=2017-08-14|url-status=live}}</ref> The court's decision was praised by the ].<ref>{{cite press release|url=https://acluva.org/20090/aclu-vas-statement-on-judge-granting-injunction-allowing-rally-to-stay-in-emancipation-park/|title=ACLU-VA's Statement on Judge Granting Injunction Allowing Rally to Stay in Emancipation Park|publisher=American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia|date=2017-08-11|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170813184142/https://acluva.org/20090/aclu-vas-statement-on-judge-granting-injunction-allowing-rally-to-stay-in-emancipation-park/|archive-date=2017-08-13}}</ref> | |||
Signer issued a statement saying: "While the City is disappointed by tonight's ruling, we will abide by the judge's decision. ... Chief Thomas, his team and the hundreds of law enforcement officials in our City will now turn their full attention to protecting the Downtown area during tomorrow's events."<ref name="Injunction" /> Following the rally, on August 17, the executive director of the ] announced that "the ] will no longer defend hate groups protesting with firearms."<ref>{{cite web|first=Joe|last=Palazzolo|title=ACLU Will No Longer Defend Hate Groups Protesting With Firearms|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/aclu-changes-policy-on-defending-hate-groups-protesting-with-firearms-1503010167|access-date=2021-10-11|newspaper=Wall Street Journal|date=2017-08-17|archive-date=January 16, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210116160340/https://www.wsj.com/articles/aclu-changes-policy-on-defending-hate-groups-protesting-with-firearms-1503010167|url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
Before the rally, counterprotesters obtained permits to gather at ] and ], both less than {{convert|1/4|mi|m|spell=in}} from Lee Park.<ref name="McKenzie" /><ref>{{cite web|title=Charlottesville Grants 2 Permits for Counterprotests of Unite the Right Rally|url=http://www.nbc29.com/story/36099395/city-of-charlottesville-grants-two-permits-for-counterprotests-of-unite-the-right|work=WVIR-TV NBC29|access-date=2017-08-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170816140621/http://www.nbc29.com/story/36099395/city-of-charlottesville-grants-two-permits-for-counterprotests-of-unite-the-right|archive-date=2017-08-16|date=2017-08-09|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name=aparch>{{cite news|url=https://apnews.com/article/13683a34cd124ff28236cd7cbbc58b3a|first=Sarah|last=Rankin|title=Armed militia, clergy, more unite against white nationalists|date=2017-08-14|work=]|access-date=2017-08-18|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170814175912/http://www.apnewsarchive.com/2017/Opponents-of-the-Saturday-white-nationalist-rally-that-descended-into-chaos-included-clergy-students-Black-Lives-Matter-activists-armed-militia-members-and-protesters-with-the-anti-fa/id-13683a34cd124ff28236cd7cbbc58b3a|archive-date=2017-08-14}}</ref><ref name="WP20170816FC">{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/fact-checker/wp/2017/08/16/president-trumps-false-claim-that-counter-demonstrators-lacked-a-permit/|first=Glenn|last=Kessler|authorlink=Glenn Kessler (journalist)|title=President Trump's false claim that counter-demonstrators lacked a permit|date=2017-08-16|newspaper=]|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170817033132/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/fact-checker/wp/2017/08/16/president-trumps-false-claim-that-counter-demonstrators-lacked-a-permit|archive-date=2017-08-17}}</ref> Charlottesville City Council spokeswoman Miriam I. Dickler later stated that counterprotesters did not need permits to protest the rally at Lee Park.<ref name="WP20170816FC" /> | |||
===August 11=== | |||
] | |||
On the evening of Friday, August 11, a group of white nationalists{{snd}}variously numbered from "dozens"<ref name="Chia">{{cite news|first=Jessica|last=Chia|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/white-nationalists-march-uva-torches-article-1.3404681|title=White nationalists march through UVA with torches|work=Daily News|location=New York|date=2017-08-12|access-date=2017-08-14|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170812133546/http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/white-nationalists-march-uva-torches-article-1.3404681|archive-date=2017-08-12}}</ref> to "about 250"<ref name="HeimWP">{{cite news|first=Joe|last=Heim|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2017/local/charlottesville-timeline/|title=Recounting a Day of Rage, Hate, Violence and Death|date=2017-08-14|newspaper=]|access-date=August 3, 2018|archive-date=January 30, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180130190322/https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2017/local/charlottesville-timeline/|url-status=live}}</ref>{{snd}}gathered for an unannounced (and unsanctioned by the city) march through the University of Virginia's campus. They marched towards the university's Lawn chanting Nazi and white supremacist slogans, including "White lives matter"; "]"; and "Jews will not replace us".<ref name="nyt94" /><ref name="Pearce">{{cite news|first=Matt|last=Pearce|date=2017-08-11|url=https://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-white-virginia-rally-20170811-story.html|url-status=live|title=Chanting 'blood and soil!' white nationalists with torches march on University of Virginia|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170812100509/http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-white-virginia-rally-20170811-story.html|archive-date=2017-08-12|newspaper=Los Angeles Times}}</ref> (The phrase "You will not replace us" has been reported by the ] to "reflect the white supremacist world view that ... the white race is doomed to extinction by an alleged 'rising tide of color' purportedly controlled and manipulated by Jews".<ref name="ADL">{{cite news|url=https://www.adl.org/blog/white-supremacists-adopt-new-slogan-you-will-not-replace-us|title=White Supremacists Adopt New Slogan: "You Will Not Replace Us"|publisher=]|date=2017-06-09|access-date=2017-08-14|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170814100052/https://www.adl.org/blog/white-supremacists-adopt-new-slogan-you-will-not-replace-us|archive-date=2017-08-14}}</ref>) The ] slogan "]" was also used.<ref name="HeimWaPo" /><ref name="Pearce" /><ref name="Chia" /><ref name="torch">{{cite web|url=https://www.vox.com/identities/2017/8/12/16138244/charlottesville-protests-photos|title=The most striking photos from the white supremacist Charlottesville protests|first=German|last=Lopez|publisher=Vox|date=2017-08-12|access-date=2017-08-12|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170813050613/https://www.vox.com/identities/2017/8/12/16138244/charlottesville-protests-photos|archive-date=2017-08-13}}</ref> The group was primarily composed of white men,<ref name="torch" /> many of them wielding ]es.<ref name="Pearce" /><ref name="torch" /><ref name="Gravely">{{cite news|first1=Alexis|last1=Gravely|first2=Daniel|last2=Hoerauf|first3=Tim|last3=Dodson|url=https://www.cavalierdaily.com/article/2017/08/torch-wielding-white-nationalists-march-at-uva|title=Torch-wielding white nationalists march at U.Va.: Protest comes to an end after fights, pepper-spray|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170813110208/http://www.cavalierdaily.com/article/2017/08/torch-wielding-white-nationalists-march-at-uva|archive-date=2017-08-13|url-status=live|work=Cavalier Daily|date=2017-08-12}}</ref> | |||
At ],<ref name="Gravely" /> the group encountered a group of about 30 counterprotesters, mostly UVA students, who had locked arms around a statue of ]. The white nationalists encircled the smaller group of counterprotesters at the base of the statue, and a brawl ensued.<ref name="Pearce" /><ref name="HeimWP" /><ref name="torch" /><ref name="Gravely" /> Several people on both sides were reportedly hit with pepper spray, and several people were treated for minor injuries.<ref name="Chia" /> The white nationalists began swinging and throwing their lit tiki torches amid the chaos.<ref name="Gravely" /> It was several minutes before ] came to break up the brawl.<ref name="HeimWP" /><ref name="nbc12-august 11">{{cite news|title=Hundreds gather at UVA in response to judge's decision regarding Unite the Right rally|url=https://www.nbc12.com/story/36119820/hundreds-gather-at-uva-in-response-to-judges-decision-regarding-unite-the-right-rally/|first=Megan|last=Woo|date=2017-08-11|publisher=]|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170817035452/http://www.nbc12.com/story/36119820/hundreds-gather-at-uva-in-response-to-judges-decision-regarding-unite-the-right-rally|archive-date=2017-08-17}}</ref> | |||
Meanwhile, clergy led a pre-planned ] and ] prayer service at St. Paul's Memorial Church on University Avenue in opposition to the Unite the Right rally.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://dailyprogress.com/news/local/faith-leaders-gather-on-the-eve-of-hate-driven-unite/article_b1f33600-7f02-11e7-9b3c-7308e1924381.html|title=Faith leaders gather on the eve of 'hate-driven' Unite the Right rally|last=Suarez|first=Chris|date=2017-08-11|website=]|access-date=2017-08-13|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170813214559/http://www.dailyprogress.com/news/local/faith-leaders-gather-on-the-eve-of-hate-driven-unite/article_b1f33600-7f02-11e7-9b3c-7308e1924381.html|archive-date=2017-08-13}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ucc.org/prayer_service_gathers_clergy_community_activists_to_stand_against_white_supremacy_in_virginia/|title=Prayer service gathers clergy, community activists to stand against white supremacy in Virginia|last=Larkman|first=Connie|date=2017-08-11|work=]|access-date=2017-08-13|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170813145422/http://www.ucc.org/news_prayer_service_gathers_clergy_community_activists_to_stand_against_white_supremacy_in_virginia_08112017|archive-date=2017-08-13}}</ref><ref name=Potter>{{cite web|url=https://sojo.net/articles/white-supremacy-will-not-win-here-people-faith-counter-protest-alt-right-rally|title='White Supremacy Will Not Win Here': People of Faith to Counter-Protest Alt-Right Rally in Charlottesville|last=Potter|first=David|date=2017-08-08|magazine=]|access-date=2017-08-13|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170813151657/https://sojo.net/articles/white-supremacy-will-not-win-here-people-faith-counter-protest-alt-right-rally|archive-date=2017-08-13}}</ref> | |||
The '']'' reported, "While waiting for rides at Nameless Field after the march, several of the 'alt-right' protesters hurled antisemitic, homophobic and misogynistic slurs at several reporters and community members asking them questions. One man asking questions was thrown to the ground and surrounded by marchers after a brief physical altercation."<ref name="Gravely" /> Signer condemned the gathering, writing: "When I think of candlelight, I want to think of prayer vigils. Today, in 2017, we are instead seeing a cowardly parade of hatred, bigotry, racism, and intolerance march."<ref name="Pearce" /> UVA president Sullivan at first denied, then later minimized, the university administration's prior knowledge of the impending August 11 torch rally.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nbc29.com/story/36198844/followup-to-sullivan-response-to-torch-lit-rally-at-uva-8-23-2017|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170823212834/https://www.nbc29.com/story/36198844/followup-to-sullivan-response-to-torch-lit-rally-at-uva-8-23-2017|title=Sullivan Letter Contradicts Claim UVA Unaware of Planned 'Alt-Right' March|last=Early|first=John|date=2017-08-23|work=NBC29 WVIR-TV|access-date=2019-10-20|archive-date=2017-08-23}}</ref> But subsequent reporting revealed that, throughout the week, university police had been in contact with ] leader ] about the planned route of the Friday night march through the campus and that university officials had also ignored warnings relayed by their own faculty six hours before the torch rally and under-estimated the threat of violence posed by the alt-right group led by UVA alumnus Spencer.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.chronicle.com/article/Inside-the-U-of-Virginia-s/241832|title=Inside the U. of Virginia's Response to a Chaotic White-Supremacist Rally|last=Stripling|first=Jack|date=2017-11-20|work=The Chronicle of Higher Education|access-date=2019-10-20|archive-date=July 17, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200717184500/https://www.chronicle.com/article/Inside-the-U-of-Virginia-s/241832|url-status=live}}</ref> The assaults upon UVA students on the night of August 11 presaged more violence at the Unite the Right rally the next day.<ref name=":8" /> | |||
===August 12=== | |||
] coverage of the rally]] | |||
Protesters and counterprotesters began gathering as early as 8 a.m. at Emancipation Park in anticipation of the rally, which was slated to begin at noon and last until 5 p.m. | |||
White nationalist protesters again chanted white supremacist and Nazi-era slogans.<ref name="nyt94" /><ref>{{cite news|first=Meg|last=Wagner|url=https://www.cnn.com/2017/08/12/us/charlottesville-unite-the-right-rally/index.html|url-status=live|title='Blood and soil': Protesters chant Nazi slogan in Charlottesville|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170813050554/http://www.cnn.com/2017/08/12/us/charlottesville-unite-the-right-rally/index.html|archive-date=2017-08-13|work=]|date=2017-08-12}}</ref> Some ], and others held posters targeting Jews that read "]" and "the ]".<ref name="HeimWaPo">{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/fights-in-advance-of-saturday-protest-in-charlottesville/2017/08/12/155fb636-7f13-11e7-83c7-5bd5460f0d7e_story.html|title=One dead as car strikes crowds amid protests of white nationalist gathering in Charlottesville; two police die in helicopter crash|last1=Heim|first1=Joe|date=2017-08-13|newspaper=]|url-status=live|archive-url=https://archive.today/20170813080821/https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/fights-in-advance-of-saturday-protest-in-charlottesville/2017/08/12/155fb636-7f13-11e7-83c7-5bd5460f0d7e_story.html|archive-date=2017-08-13|last2=Silverman|first2=Ellie|last3=Shapiro|first3=T. Rees|last4=Brown|first4=Emma|url-access=limited}}</ref> Protesters also shouted racial slurs and "Jew" when Signer was mentioned, and some waved Nazi flags and signs claiming, among other things, that "Jews are Satan's children." Dozens of protesters wore Trump's red "]" campaign hats.<ref name="HeimWaPo" /> | |||
Saturday morning, Sabbath worshippers at synagogue ], faced with men in fatigues with semiautomatic rifles across the street, and a call on Nazi web sites to burn their building, felt it prudent to exit the synagogue through a back door, carrying the synagogue's ]s with them for safekeeping.<ref>{{cite news|magazine=]|title=Why the Charlottesville Marchers Were Obsessed With Jews|first=Emma|last=Green|date=2017-08-15|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/08/nazis-racism-charlottesville/536928/|access-date=May 13, 2024|archive-date=August 17, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170817011443/https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/08/nazis-racism-charlottesville/536928/|url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
], march and blast air-horns in front of clergy and counterprotesters who sing "]". Lee statue visible in background]]Counterprotests began with an interfaith, interracial group of clergy who linked arms, prayed, and sang songs of peace,<ref>{{cite web|first=Robert|last=King|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2017/08/12/meet-man-middle-unite-right-rally-charlottesville/562571001|title=Meet the man in the middle of the 'Unite the Right' rally|publisher=Indianapolis Star/USA Today Network|date=2017-08-12|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170814060938/https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2017/08/12/meet-man-middle-unite-right-rally-charlottesville/562571001/|archive-date=2017-08-14}}</ref> such as "]".<ref name="West">{{cite interview|url=https://www.democracynow.org/2017/8/14/cornel_west_rev_toni_blackmon_clergy|title=Cornel West & Rev. Traci Blackmon: Clergy in Charlottesville Were Trapped by Torch-Wielding Nazis|first=Cornel|last=West|first2=Traci|last2=Blackmon|interviewer=]|date=2017-08-14|website=]|access-date=2017-08-19|archive-date=August 17, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180817010619/https://www.democracynow.org/2017/8/14/cornel_west_rev_toni_blackmon_clergy|url-status=live}}</ref> Later in the day, counterprotesters chanted slogans including "Kill All Nazis"<ref>{{cite web|first=Robert|last=King|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2017/08/12/meet-man-middle-unite-right-rally-charlottesville/562571001|title=Meet the man in the middle of the 'Unite the Right' rally|publisher=Indianapolis Star/USA Today Network|date=2017-08-12|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170814060938/https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2017/08/12/meet-man-middle-unite-right-rally-charlottesville/562571001|archive-date=2017-08-14}}</ref> and "punch a Nazi in the mouth".<ref name="MannUnity">{{cite news|last1=Mann|first1=Brian|title=Trump Supporter: 'He Called For Unity, I Never Saw Obama Call For Unity'|url=https://www.npr.org/2017/08/13/543259485/trump-supporter-he-called-for-unity-i-never-saw-obama-call-for-unity|access-date=2017-08-14|publisher=NPR|date=2017-08-14|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170815065238/http://www.npr.org/2017/08/13/543259485/trump-supporter-he-called-for-unity-i-never-saw-obama-call-for-unity|archive-date=2017-08-15}}</ref> The armed leftist group Redneck Revolt<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/jul/11/redneck-revolt-guns-anti-racism-fascism-far-left|first=Cecilia Saixue|last=Watt|title=Redneck Revolt: the armed leftwing group that wants to stamp out fascism|date=2017-07-11|website=The Guardian|access-date=2021-10-11|archive-date=November 3, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211103213157/https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/jul/11/redneck-revolt-guns-anti-racism-fascism-far-left|url-status=live}}</ref> posted on their website: "To the fascists and all who stand with them, we'll be seeing you in Virginia."<ref>{{cite news|first=Farah|last=Stockmanaug|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/14/us/who-were-the-counterprotesters-in-charlottesville.html|title=Who Were the Counterprotesters in Charlottesville?|work=]|date=2017-08-04|access-date=2017-08-16|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170816013054/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/14/us/who-were-the-counterprotesters-in-charlottesville.html|archive-date=2017-08-16}}</ref> Harvard professor ], who organized some of the counter-demonstrators, said that a group of "20 of us who were standing, many of them clergy, we would have been crushed like cockroaches if it were not for the anarchists and the anti-fascists who approached, over 300, 350 anti-fascists". West stated, "The neofascists had their own ammunition. And this is very important to keep in mind, because the police, for the most part, pulled back."<ref name="West" /> | |||
Virginia allows the ]ing of firearms under state law,<ref name="WilliamsRoblesBidgood" /> and many demonstrators and counter-demonstrators were armed, some with ].<ref name="WilliamsRoblesBidgood">{{cite news|first1=Timothy|last1=Williams|first2=Frances|last2=Robles|first3=Jess|last3=Bidgood|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/14/us/white-nationalist-rallies-police.html|title=Police Brace for More White Nationalist Rallies, but Have Few Options|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170815200229/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/14/us/white-nationalist-rallies-police.html|archive-date=2017-08-15|work=]|date=2017-08-14|quote=Many of the demonstrators are legally and openly carrying firearms, including semiautomatic weapons}}</ref><ref name="LithwickStern">{{cite news|first1=Dahlia|last1=Lithwick|first2=Mark Joseph|last2=Stern|url=https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2017/08/the-first-and-second-amendments-clashed-in-charlottesville-the-guns-won.html|title=The Guns Won: Charlottesville showed that our First Amendment jurisprudence hasn't reckoned with our Second Amendment reality.|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170815033937/http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/jurisprudence/2017/08/the_first_and_second_amendments_clashed_in_charlottesville_the_guns_won.html|archive-date=2017-08-15|work=Slate|date=2017-08-14}}</ref><ref name="HeimWP"/> This presented major challenges for police at the scene.<ref name="WilliamsRoblesBidgood" /><ref name="LithwickStern" /> Many of the protesters and counter-protesters carried shields, sticks, and ],<ref name="HeimWP"/><ref name="ThompsonFaturechi" /><ref name="ManyBalk">{{cite news|last1=Becker|first1=Amanda|first2=Jeff|last2=Mason|title=Trump blames 'both sides' for Virginia violence as many Republicans balk|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-virginia-protests-idUSKCN1AV0WT?il=0|work=Reuters|access-date=2017-08-19|date=2017-08-15|archive-date=April 17, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210417222657/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-virginia-protests-idUSKCN1AV0WT?il=0|url-status=live}}</ref> as well as body armor and helmets.<ref name=aparch /> Separately at the rally, Richard W. Preston, the self-identified Imperial Wizard of the ]-based Confederate White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, was caught on video shooting a pistol at Corey A. Long, an African-American counter-protester who had been carrying an aerosol can whose spray he'd lit.<ref name="Shipira">{{cite news|first=Ian|last=Shapira|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/ku-klux-klan-leader-found-guilty-for-firing-gun-at-charlottesville-rally/2018/05/08/d4229ec6-522b-11e8-9c91-7dab596e8252_story.html|title=Ku Klux Klan leader found guilty for firing gun at Charlottesville rally|newspaper=]|date=2018-05-08|access-date=May 13, 2024|archive-date=October 31, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201031020505/https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/ku-klux-klan-leader-found-guilty-for-firing-gun-at-charlottesville-rally/2018/05/08/d4229ec6-522b-11e8-9c91-7dab596e8252_story.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Preston was later found guilty of firing a weapon within {{convert|1,000|feet|m}} of a school after pleading ]. Long was charged with misdemeanor assault and disorderly conduct.<ref name="Shipira"/> Long's assault charges were dismissed when the prosecutor, Commonwealth Attorney Joe Platania, could not produce the alleged victim, Harold Crews. Long had struggled over a flagpole wielded by Crews. Platania asked the judge not to impose any active incarceration and said Long was always polite and voluntarily spoke with detectives about the incident. Long was convicted of disorderly conduct and sentenced to 20 days in jail, 340 more days suspended, and 100 hours of community service.<ref name=Long>{{cite news|url=https://www.dailyprogress.com/news/local/corey-long-convicted-of-disorderly-conduct-sentenced-to-days/article_a51f9012-6b34-11e8-9d0a-7358221b4a40.html|title=Corey Long convicted of disorderly conduct sentenced to 20 days|newspaper=]|first=Lauren|last=Berg|date=2018-06-08|access-date=May 13, 2024|archive-date=October 18, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211018080454/https://dailyprogress.com/news/local/corey-long-convicted-of-disorderly-conduct-sentenced-to-days/article_a51f9012-6b34-11e8-9d0a-7358221b4a40.html|url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
A bystander testified at Long's trial that someone behind him yelled, "Kill the nigger!" regarding Long, and he turned, saw Preston and another man advancing toward Long, with Preston pulling a pistol. He said he feared that Long, who was standing on a low wall, would be killed. He said the shot fired by Preston hit the dirt next to Long's feet.<ref name=Long/> | |||
] ]]] is given a ] in response.]] | |||
Beginning in the morning, ahead of the rally's official noon start time,<ref name="StanglinCavallaro">{{cite news|first1=Doug|last1=Stanglin|first2=Gabe|last2=Cavallaro|date=2017-08-12|newspaper=]|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2017/08/12/charlottesville-va-braces-alt-right-rally-thousands-robert-e-lee-statue/561833001|title=1 dead, 19 injured as car hits crowd after a 'Unite the Right' rally in Charlottesville; driver in custody|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170813114417/https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2017/08/12/charlottesville-va-braces-alt-right-rally-thousands-robert-e-lee-statue/561833001/|archive-date=2017-08-13}}</ref> "protesters and counterprotesters faced off, kicking, punching, hurling water bottles at and deploying chemical sprays against one another".<ref name="McCallister">{{cite news|last1=Ruiz|first1=Joe|last2=McCallister|first2=Doreen|date=2017-08-12|title=3 Killed in Violence Surrounding White Nationalist Protest in Virginia|publisher=NPR|url=https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/08/12/542982015/home-to-university-of-virginia-prepares-for-violence-at-white-nationalist-rally|url-status=live|access-date=2017-08-19|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170813050547/http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/08/12/542982015/home-to-university-of-virginia-prepares-for-violence-at-white-nationalist-rally|archive-date=2017-08-13}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Sotomayor|first1=Marianna|last2=McCausland|first2=Phil|last3=Brockington|first3=Ariana|date=2017-08-12|title=Charlottesville White Nationalist Rally Violence Prompts State of Emergency|work=NBC News|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/torch-wielding-white-supremacists-march-university-virginia-n792021|url-status=live|access-date=2017-08-12|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170812094939/https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/torch-wielding-white-supremacists-march-university-virginia-n792021|archive-date=2017-08-12}}</ref> An estimated 500 protesters and more than a thousand counterprotesters were on the site.<ref name="aparch" /><ref name="McCallister" /> The Associated Press reported that "people threw punches, screamed, set off smoke bombs, hurled water bottles and unleashed chemical sprays"; some engaged in combat while "others darted around, trying to avoid the chaos".<ref name="aparch" /> At least 14 people were injured in street brawls.<ref name="HeimWaPo" /> Following the rally, four ] of white supremacist ] were issued after Cantwell was charged by Virginia prosecutors with felonies related to "illegal use of gases, and injury by caustic agent or explosive".<ref>{{cite news|first=Matt|last=Stevens|date=2017-08-21|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/21/us/christopher-cantwell-charlottesville.html|title=Christopher Cantwell, White Nationalist in Vice Video, Braces for Charges|newspaper=The New York Times|access-date=August 21, 2017|archive-date=September 7, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170907184602/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/21/us/christopher-cantwell-charlottesville.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|first1=Steve|last1=Annear|first2=Michael|last2=Levenson|date=2017-08-17|title=Warrants issued for N.H. white supremacist|url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/news/nation/2017/08/17/facebook-bans-white-nationalist-accounts-over-hate-speech/0Y359546xMoKaeStccsNRP/story.html|newspaper=Boston Globe|access-date=August 21, 2017|archive-date=June 20, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210620195251/https://www.bostonglobe.com/news/nation/2017/08/17/facebook-bans-white-nationalist-accounts-over-hate-speech/0Y359546xMoKaeStccsNRP/story.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Separately, '']'' journalist ] claimed she was punched by counter-protesters during the violence, while video posted to social media showed a male protester punching a woman as the crowd left Lee Park; both men were arrested the same day.<ref>{{cite news|title=2 journalists allegedly assaulted by Charlottesville counter-protesters|url=https://www.foxnews.com/us/2-journalists-allegedly-assaulted-by-charlottesville-counter-protesters|access-date=2021-10-12|work=Fox News|date=2017-08-17|archive-date=November 4, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211104213309/http://www.foxnews.com/us/2-journalists-allegedly-assaulted-by-charlottesville-counter-protesters|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|first=Benjamin|last=Din|title=Journalist alleges she was punched in the face in Charlottesville|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/journalist-alleges-she-was-punched-in-the-face-in-charlottesville/2017/08/19/3711d23c-8517-11e7-b359-15a3617c767b_story.html|newspaper=]|date=2017-08-19|access-date=August 21, 2017|archive-date=January 9, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210109171433/https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/journalist-alleges-she-was-punched-in-the-face-in-charlottesville/2017/08/19/3711d23c-8517-11e7-b359-15a3617c767b_story.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Both later pleaded guilty to misdemeanor assault and battery.<ref>{{cite news|first=John|last=Early|url=http://www.nbc29.com/story/36756735/smith-mothersbaugh-court-11-03-2017|title=2 Men Enter Guilty Pleas in Connection to Unite the Right Rally Violence|work=]|date=2017-11-03|access-date=2018-05-29|archive-date=2018-07-07|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180707035829/http://www.nbc29.com/story/36756735/smith-mothersbaugh-court-11-03-2017|url-status=dead}}</ref> Steven Balcaitis, of ], was arrested for assault and battery<ref>{{cite web|title=Steven Balcaitis Court Documents|url=https://www.scribd.com/document/356297485/Steven-Balcaitis-Court-Documents|access-date=2019-07-17|website=Scribd|archive-date=March 8, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210308213700/https://www.scribd.com/document/356297485/Steven-Balcaitis-Court-Documents|url-status=live}}</ref> for choking a counter-protester in an attack that was captured on video.<ref>{{cite web|last=O'Neil|first=Renee|date=2017-08-23|title=York Man Charged in Charlottesville|url=https://www.cn2.com/york-man-charged-charlottesville/|access-date=2019-07-17|website=CN2 News|archive-date=2019-09-13|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190913185922/https://www.cn2.com/york-man-charged-charlottesville/|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|first=Billie Jean|last=Shaw|title=York Co. man arrested after attacking woman during white nationalist protest|url=https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/nation-now/york-co-man-arrested-after-attacking-woman-during-white-nationalist-protest/275-467499207|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190717024519/https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/nation-now/york-co-man-arrested-after-attacking-woman-during-white-nationalist-protest/275-467499207|date=2017-08-26|archive-date=2019-07-17|access-date=2019-07-17|website=WCNC}}</ref> Balcaitis pled guilty to assault and received a 180-day suspended sentence.<ref>{{cite web|date=2017-09-22|title=August 12 water bottle-thrower pleads guilty|url=https://www.c-ville.com/court/|first=Samantha|last=Baars|access-date=2019-07-21|website=C-VILLE Weekly|archive-date=April 17, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210417204948/https://www.c-ville.com/court/|url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
] | |||
] Vasillios Pistolis, a member of the terrorist group ], was recorded yelling "White Lives Matter" and "You will not replace us!" with his fellow protesters; he later bragged that he had assaulted a trans woman with a modified version of the ] containing the ].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8KhAsRJhxeI|archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211104/8KhAsRJhxeI|archive-date=2021-11-04|url-status=live|title=He's a proud neo-Nazi, Charlottesville attacker – and a U.S. Marine|publisher=YouTube|date=2018-05-11|access-date=2018-10-17}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.propublica.org/article/atomwaffen-division-hate-group-active-duty-military|first1=A.C.|last1=Thompson|first2=Ali|last2=Winston|first3=Jake|last3=Hanrahan|title=Ranks of Notorious Hate Group Include Active-Duty Military|work=Propublica|access-date=2018-06-22|date=2018-05-03|archive-date=June 20, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180620235919/https://www.propublica.org/article/atomwaffen-division-hate-group-active-duty-military|url-status=live}}</ref> He was later court-martialed by the United States Marine Corps for disobeying orders and making false statements in June 2018 and sentenced to a month's confinement and a presumed discharge thereafter.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.propublica.org/article/vasilios-pistolis-imprisoned-marine-hate-groups|date=2018-06-20|first1=A. C.|last1=Thompson|first2=Ali|last2=Winston|title=U.S. Marine to Be Imprisoned Over Involvement With Hate Groups|work=Propublica|access-date=2018-06-22|archive-date=March 22, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210322214150/https://www.propublica.org/article/vasilios-pistolis-imprisoned-marine-hate-groups|url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
At 11:00 a.m. on the 12th, the City of Charlottesville declared a state of emergency, citing an "imminent threat of civil disturbance, unrest, potential injury to persons, and destruction of public and personal property". One hour later, Virginia governor ] declared a state of emergency, stating: "It is now clear that public safety cannot be safeguarded without additional powers, and that the mostly-out-of-state protesters have come to Virginia to endanger our citizens and property. I am disgusted by the hatred, bigotry and violence these protesters have brought to our state."<ref name="nyt94" /> | |||
At 11:22 a.m., before the rally was scheduled to begin, ] declared the gathering an ] via megaphones,<ref name="StanglinCavallaro" /> and riot police cleared the scene.<ref name="ManCharged">{{cite news|first1=Jason|last1=Wilson|first2=Edward|last2=Helmore|first3=Jon|last3=Swaine|url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/aug/12/virginia-unite-the-right-rally-protest-violence|title=Charlottesville: man charged with murder after car rams counter-protesters at far-right event|work=The Guardian|date=2017-08-12|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170813050625/https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/aug/12/virginia-unite-the-right-rally-protest-violence|archive-date=2017-08-13}}</ref> Following this, "a hard core of about 100 far-right protesters" moved to McIntire Park about {{convert|2|mi|km|0}} away, where they gathered to hear speakers who had been scheduled for the "Unite the Right" event.<ref name="ManCharged" /><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wgrz.com/news/clashes-erupt-as-thousands-descend-on-charlottesville-for-unite-the-right-rally-counter-protest/463872440|title=1 dead, 19 injured as car hits crowd at rally in Charlottesville; driver in custody|last=TEGNA|publisher=wgrz.com|access-date=May 13, 2024|archive-date=August 16, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170816040434/https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2017/08/15/plaque-honouring-confederate-leader-jefferson-davis-removed-from-montreal-building.html|url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
==Related events== | |||
===Vehicular attack and homicide=== | |||
{{main|Charlottesville car attack}} | |||
====Overview==== | |||
] | |||
After the aborted rally, at around 1:45 p.m.,<ref name=maggie>{{cite news|first1=Maggie|last1=Astor|title=A Guide to the Charlottesville Aftermath|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/13/us/charlottesville-virginia-overview.html|first2=Christina|last2=Caron|first3=Daniel|last3=Victor|date=2017-08-13|work=]|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170814223430/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/13/us/charlottesville-virginia-overview.html|archive-date=2017-08-14}}</ref> James Alex Fields Jr. drove his car into a crowd of counter-protesters, hitting several and slamming into a stopped sedan, which in turn struck a stopped minivan; both were pushed into the crowd. Fields then reversed his car through the crowd and drove off. One person was killed, and 35 others were injured. Police determined the attack was deliberate.<ref name="Mickolus"/><ref name="JohnstonSuspectIDd"/> | |||
The ramming occurred at a pedestrian mall at Water and Fourth streets, about four blocks from Lee Park <small>({{coord|38|01|46.17|N|78|28|46.29|W|display=inline}})</small>.<ref name="ShapiroSilverman">{{cite news|first1=T. Rees|last1=Shapiro|first2=Ellie|last2=Silverman|first3=Laura|last3=Vozzella|first4=John Woodrow|last4=Cox|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/one-dead-as-car-strikes-crowds-amid-protests-of-white-nationalist-gathering-in-charlottesville-two-police-die-in-helicopter-crash/2017/08/13/3590b3ce-8021-11e7-902a-2a9f2d808496_story.html|title=Alleged driver of car that plowed into Charlottesville crowd was a Nazi sympathizer, former teacher says|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170814011801/https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/one-dead-as-car-strikes-crowds-amid-protests-of-white-nationalist-gathering-in-charlottesville-two-police-die-in-helicopter-crash/2017/08/13/3590b3ce-8021-11e7-902a-2a9f2d808496_story.html|archive-date=2017-08-14|newspaper=]|date=2017-08-13}}</ref> Heather D. Heyer, a 32-year-old paralegal from Charlottesville, was fatally injured in the attack and pronounced dead at the ].<ref>{{cite news|title=Obituary: Heather Heyer died on August 12th|url=https://www.economist.com/news/obituary/21726701-legal-assistant-killed-far-right-rally-charlottesville-was-32-obituary-heather|access-date=2017-08-18|newspaper=]|date=2017-08-18|archive-date=May 15, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180515065302/https://www.economist.com/news/obituary/21726701-legal-assistant-killed-far-right-rally-charlottesville-was-32-obituary-heather|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://news.vice.com/story/heather-heyer-charlottesville-car-attack|title=Heather Heyer identified as victim of Charlottesville car attack|website=Vice|access-date=2017-08-16|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170816064702/https://news.vice.com/story/heather-heyer-charlottesville-car-attack|archive-date=2017-08-16|date=2017-08-13}}</ref><ref name="hh"/> | |||
Video footage recorded at the scene by ] showed a gray 2010 ] accelerating towards crowds on a pedestrian mall, hitting people and sending them airborne, then reversing at high speed, hitting more people.<ref name="HeimWaPo" /> The moment when the car was driven into the crowd was captured on video by bystanders and in ] taken by a ].<ref>{{cite news|first=Joseph A.|last=Wulfsohn|url=https://www.mediaite.com/online/drone-footage-captured-the-terrifying-moment-james-fields-drove-into-a-crowd-in-charlottesville/|title=Drone Footage Captured the Terrifying Moment James Fields Drove Into a Crowd in Charlottesville|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170814055252/https://www.mediaite.com/online/drone-footage-captured-the-terrifying-moment-james-fields-drove-into-a-crowd-in-charlottesville|archive-date=2017-08-14|work=Mediate|date=2017-08-12}}</ref> A photographer present at the scene said the car "plowed into a sedan and then into a minivan. Bodies flew. People were terrified and screaming." Bystanders said it was "definitely a violent attack", according to ''The Guardian''.<ref name="ManCharged" /> Of the 35 injured survivors, the ] reported that five were initially in critical condition.<ref name="HeimWaPo" /> By the afternoon of August 14, ten patients had been discharged from the hospital, and the nine remaining patients were in good condition.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://apnews.com/article/north-america-us-news-ap-top-news-virginia-charlottesville-1edb300b93de46f1aa020de18643ee7a|title=The Latest: Student leaders say campuses should be safe|date=2017-08-15|website=Associated Press|access-date=2021-10-11|archive-date=November 4, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211104212753/https://apnews.com/article/north-america-us-news-ap-top-news-virginia-charlottesville-1edb300b93de46f1aa020de18643ee7a|url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
====Heather Heyer==== | |||
'''Heather Danielle Heyer'''<ref name="SLwapo13">{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/public-safety/charlottesville-victim-she-was-there-standing-up-for-what-was-right/2017/08/13/00d6b034-8035-11e7-b359-15a3617c767b_story.html|title=Charlottesville victim: 'She was there standing up for what was right'|last1=Silverman|first1=Ellie|last2=Laris|first2=Michael|date=2017-08-13|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=2018-07-16|archive-date=March 20, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210320122855/https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/public-safety/charlottesville-victim-she-was-there-standing-up-for-what-was-right/2017/08/13/00d6b034-8035-11e7-b359-15a3617c767b_story.html|url-status=live}}</ref> (May 29, 1985{{snd}}August 12, 2017) was the only person killed in the attack.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://edition.cnn.com/2017/08/13/us/charlottesville-heather-heyer-profile/index.html|title=Heather Heyer died 'fighting for what she believed in'|first1=Steve|last1=Almasy|first2=Chandrika|last2=Narayan|date=2017-12-16|access-date=2018-08-29|work=]|publisher=]|archive-date=October 28, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211028053041/https://edition.cnn.com/2017/08/13/us/charlottesville-heather-heyer-profile/index.html|url-status=live}}</ref> She worked as a paralegal at a law firm, and as a bartender and waitress, at the time of the rally.<ref name="hh">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/13/us/heather-heyer-charlottesville-victim.html|title=Heather Heyer, Charlottesville Victim, Is Recalled as 'a Strong Woman'|last1=Caron|first1=Christina|date=2017-08-13|website=The New York Times|access-date=2018-05-24|archive-date=August 16, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170816235535/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/13/us/heather-heyer-charlottesville-victim.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Heyer and a longtime friend of hers had agreed not to protest the rally, because they thought it would be too dangerous, but the night before the protests, Heyer felt compelled to go.<ref name="SLwapo13" /> | |||
Heyer's mother, Susan Bro, said that she wanted Heather's name to become "a rallying cry for justice and equality and fairness and compassion".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://time.com/4898705/heather-heyer-mother-susan-bro-charlottesville-virginia-rally/|date=2017-08-13|title=Charlottesville Victim's Mother: I Want Her Death to be 'a Rallying Cry for Justice'|last=Calfas|first=Jennifer|access-date=2017-08-15|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170813212800/http://time.com/4898705/heather-heyer-mother-susan-bro-charlottesville-virginia-rally|archive-date=2017-08-13|url-status=live|website=]}}</ref> Heyer's memorial service was held at Charlottesville's ] on August 16; Heyer's mother spoke to hundreds of mourners, asking them to honor Heyer by acting against injustice and turning "anger into righteous action".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.mercurynews.com/2017/08/16/charlottesville-to-mourn-woman-killed-at-rally-in-memorial/|url-status=live|first1=Brian|last1=Witte|first2=Sarah|last2=Rankin|title=Heather Heyer remembered at Charlottesville memorial service|date=2017-08-16|work=]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170817041015/http://www.mercurynews.com/2017/08/16/charlottesville-to-mourn-woman-killed-at-rally-in-memorial|archive-date=2017-08-17|agency=]}}</ref> | |||
====Arrest of James Alex Fields Jr.==== | |||
] | |||
Shortly after the collision, James Alex Fields Jr., a 20-year-old from ] who reportedly had expressed sympathy for ] during his time as a student at ] in ],<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.npr.org/2017/08/13/543176250/charlottesville-attack-james-alex-fields-jr|title=Charlottesville Car Attack: Who Is Accused Suspect James Alex Fields Jr.?: The Two-Way|newspaper=NPR|date=2017-08-13|access-date=2017-08-16|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170817000743/http://www.npr.org/2017/08/13/543176250/charlottesville-attack-james-alex-fields-jr|archive-date=2017-08-17|last1=Ruiz|first1=Joe}}</ref> was arrested and charged with ].<ref name="JohnstonSuspectIDd">{{cite news|first=Chuck|last=Johnston|url=https://www.cnn.com/2017/08/12/us/charlottesville-car-crash-suspect-idd/index.html|title=Charlottesville car crash suspect ID'd as 20-year-old Ohio man|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170813011757/http://www.cnn.com/2017/08/12/us/charlottesville-car-crash-suspect-idd/index.html|archive-date=2017-08-13|work=]|date=2017-08-12}}</ref> | |||
Fields had been photographed taking part in the rally, holding a shield emblazoned with the logo of Vanguard America, a white supremacist organization. Vanguard America's leaders later stated he was not a member and that "The shields seen do not denote membership" as they were "freely handed out to anyone in attendance".<ref name=WaPoVanguard>{{cite news|first1=Justin William|last1=Moyer|first2=Lindsey|last2=Bever|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/vanguard-america-a-white-supremacist-group-denies-charlottesville-attacker-was-a-member/2017/08/15/2ec897c6-810e-11e7-8072-73e1718c524d_story.html|url-status=live|title=Vanguard America, a white supremacist group, denies Charlottesville ramming suspect was a member|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170816064902/https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/vanguard-america-a-white-supremacist-group-denies-charlottesville-attacker-was-a-member/2017/08/15/2ec897c6-810e-11e7-8072-73e1718c524d_story.html|archive-date=2017-08-16|newspaper=]|date=2017-08-15}}</ref> On August 14, Fields was again denied bail.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Sotomayor|first1=Marianna|first2=Corky|last2=Siemaszko|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/charlottesville-suspect-james-alex-fields-jr-denied-bond-first-court-n792381|title=Charlottesville Suspect James Alex Fields Jr. Denied Bond at First Court Appearance|date=2017-08-14|work=NBC News|access-date=2017-08-16|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170815205641/https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/charlottesville-suspect-james-alex-fields-jr-denied-bond-first-court-n792381|archive-date=2017-08-15}}</ref> He was held at the ] Regional Jail.<ref name="JohnstonSuspectIDd" /> | |||
] ] and several ] described the alleged ramming attack as an act of ], as did various commentators.<ref name=McMaster>{{cite web|url=https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2017/08/national-security-adviser-h-r-mcmaster-on-charlottesville-of-course-it-was-terrorism.html|first=Daniel|last=Politi|title=National Security Adviser McMaster on Charlottesville: "Of Course it Was Terrorism"|website=]|date=2017-08-13|access-date=2017-08-13|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170814072231/http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slatest/2017/08/13/national_security_adviser_h_r_mcmaster_on_charlottesville_of_course_it_was.html|archive-date=2017-08-14}}</ref><ref name=NPRTerror>{{cite news|url=https://www.npr.org/2017/08/12/543096579/trump-saw-many-sides-while-some-republicans-saw-white-supremacy-domestic-terrori|title=Trump Saw 'Many Sides' While Some Republicans Saw White Supremacy, Domestic Terrorism|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170814055853/http://www.npr.org/2017/08/12/543096579/trump-saw-many-sides-while-some-republicans-saw-white-supremacy-domestic-terrori|archive-date=2017-08-14|work=]|date=2017-08-12|first1=Vanessa|last1=Romo|first2=Martina|last2=Stewart}}</ref> Late on the night of August 12, ] ] said the U.S. Department of Justice would open a civil rights investigation into the incident; federal investigators would investigate whether the suspect "crossed state lines with the intent to commit violence".<ref>{{cite news|first=Joe|last=Ruiz|url=https://www.npr.org/2017/08/13/543176250/charlottesville-attack-james-alex-fields-jr|title=Ohio Man Charged With Murder In Fatal Car Attack On Anti-White Nationalist March|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170813222823/http://www.npr.org/2017/08/13/543176250/charlottesville-attack-james-alex-fields-jr|archive-date=2017-08-13|work=]|date=2017-08-13}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2017/08/department-of-justice-launches-probe-into-charlottesville-violence-that-left-three-dead.html|date=2017-08-13|title=Department of Justice Launches Probe Into Charlottesville Violence That Left Three Dead|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170813150123/http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slatest/2017/08/13/department_of_justice_launches_probe_into_charlottesville_violence_that.html|archive-date=2017-08-13|work=Slate|first=Daniel|last=Politi}}</ref> Later, Sessions said the ramming met the definition of 'domestic terrorism' and that it was "an unacceptable, evil attack".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/trumps-attorney-general-evil-charlottesville-car-ramming-fits/story?id=49202191|first=Michael Edison|last=Hayden|title=Sessions defends Trump on Charlottesville, says car ramming fits 'domestic terrorism'|date=2017-08-14|work=ABC News|access-date=2017-08-14|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170814182323/http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/trumps-attorney-general-evil-charlottesville-car-ramming-fits/story?id=49202191|archive-date=2017-08-14}}</ref> | |||
Separate ] pages were set up for the Heyer family and for those injured in the crash; the latter was organized by the Anchorage co-chairman of the ].<ref name="GoFundMe Campaigns">{{cite web|url=https://splinternews.com/her-name-is-heather-heyer-and-she-died-protesting-bigo-1797795164|title=Her Name Is Heather Heyer, and She Died Protesting Bigotry|last=Boddiger|first=David|date=2017-08-13|website=]|access-date=2017-08-13|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170814055331/http://splinternews.com/her-name-is-heather-heyer-and-she-died-protesting-bigo-1797795164|archive-date=2017-08-14}}</ref> The UVA Health Foundation created a fund for medical expenses of "patients at ] and Sentara ] who were injured and impacted by this unwanted violence in our community".<ref>{{cite news|first=Jeff|last=Williamson|url=https://www.wsls.com/news/2017/08/16/charlottesville-hospitals-launch-fund-to-support-medical-expenses-of-rally-victims/|title=Charlottesville hospitals launch fund to support medical expenses of rally victims|work=WSLS|date=2017-08-15|access-date=May 13, 2024|archive-date=November 4, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211104212407/https://www.wsls.com/news/2017/08/16/charlottesville-hospitals-launch-fund-to-support-medical-expenses-of-rally-victims/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|first=Megan|last=Woo|url=https://www.nbc12.com/story/36142696/charlottesville-hospitals-create-fund-for-protest-victims/|title=Charlottesville hospitals create fund for protest victims|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170816193204/http://www.nbc12.com/story/36142696/charlottesville-hospitals-create-fund-for-protest-victims|archive-date=2017-08-16|work=WWBT|date=2017-08-15}}</ref> | |||
Two motorists injured in the vehicle incident have sued the organizers of the event and the driver.<ref name="dp170815a">{{cite news|title=$3M lawsuit filed against Kessler, Fields and others after fatal crash|url=https://dailyprogress.com/news/local/m-lawsuit-filed-against-kessler-fields-and-others-after-fatal/article_a024d09c-81ea-11e7-992f-c3882c7102c9.html|access-date=2017-08-15|work=Daily Progress|date=2017-08-15|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170815225338/http://www.dailyprogress.com/news/local/m-lawsuit-filed-against-kessler-fields-and-others-after-fatal/article_a024d09c-81ea-11e7-992f-c3882c7102c9.html|archive-date=2017-08-15}}</ref> | |||
====Trial, conviction and sentencing==== | |||
Fields was charged with ], three counts of ] and ] following an accident resulting in death, and held without bail.<ref name="ManCharged" /><ref name="JohnstonSuspectIDd" /> On August 18, 2017, Fields was charged with three additional counts of aggravated malicious wounding and two additional counts of malicious wounding.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.dailyprogress.com/news/local/fields-faces-additional-felony-charges-related-to-aug-fatal-crash/article_7608f516-845d-11e7-986e-b73741c8b869.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170819003212/https://dailyprogress.com/news/local/fields-faces-additional-felony-charges-related-to-aug-fatal-crash/article_7608f516-845d-11e7-986e-b73741c8b869.html|access-date=2021-10-11|title=Fields faces 5 additional felony charges related to Aug. 12 fatal crash|newspaper=The Daily Progress|date=2017-08-18|archive-date=2017-08-19}}</ref> The murder charge was changed to first-degree murder on December 14, 2017.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/crime/driver-accused-of-plowing-into-charlottesville-crowd-killing-heather-heyer-due-in-court/2017/12/13/6cbb4ce8-e029-11e7-89e8-edec16379010_story.html|title=First-degree murder charge for driver accused of plowing into Charlottesville crowd, killing Heather Heyer|last1=Duggan|first1=Paul|date=2017-12-14|newspaper=The Washington Post|location=Charlottesville, VA|access-date=2017-12-14|archive-date=February 10, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210210210330/https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/crime/driver-accused-of-plowing-into-charlottesville-crowd-killing-heather-heyer-due-in-court/2017/12/13/6cbb4ce8-e029-11e7-89e8-edec16379010_story.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Footage introduced as new evidence for elevating the charges included a video from the Red Pump Kitchen (an ]) on the northeast corner of 4th and Main<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.c-ville.com/charge-upgraded-first-degree-murder-nine-felonies-august-12-certified-grand-jury/|title=Charge upgraded: First-degree murder, nine felonies from August 12 certified to grand jury|first=Lisa|last=Provence|date=2017-12-15|quote=Even more chilling was footage from Red Pump Kitchen, the Italian restaurant on the corner of the Downtown Mall and Fourth Street. First are the vehicles that drove down Fourth Street, which was supposed to be closed: a maroon van, a black pickup truck and a ragtop white Camry, which were all stopped by the counterprotesters who had marched east on Water Street and turned left onto Fourth. Then the Dodge Challenger slowly drives down Fourth—and pauses out of view near the mall crossing for nearly a minute. The car is seen backing up, and a moment later it speeds by.|access-date=October 14, 2021|archive-date=November 4, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211104212400/https://www.c-ville.com/charge-upgraded-first-degree-murder-nine-felonies-august-12-certified-grand-jury/|url-status=live}}</ref> and aerial footage from a ] helicopter.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.kentucky.com/news/state/article189920549.html|date=2017-12-15|website=]|title=Helicopter video shows ex-Kentucky man accused of ramming crowd; charges increased|first=Sarah|last=Rankin|quote=Surveillance footage from a Virginia State Police helicopter, played by prosecutors in court, captured the moment of impact by the car and the cursing of the startled troopers on board. The video then showed the car as it reversed, drove away and eventually pulled over. The helicopter had been monitoring the violence, and prosecutors questioned Charlottesville Police Detective Steven Young about the video as it played.|access-date=May 13, 2024|archive-date=May 1, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210501041459/https://www.kentucky.com/news/state/article189920549.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Both videos were ] by the lead prosecutor.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://issuu.com/cvilleweekly/docs/3007_issue|title=Petitioner wants videos of fatal crash released|website=]|first=Samantha|last=Baars|date=2018-02-13|quote=Evans has filed a motion seeking a court order under the Freedom of Information Act that the city of Charlottesville and Commonwealth's Attorney Joe Platania unseal the videos shown in an open courtroom at Fields' December 14 preliminary hearing, and make them available to the public. "The precedent is pretty clear across the entire country, both in the Supreme Court and in federal courts and in the state courts that statutes like this, when you show something like this to a portion of the public in a public setting, at that point you don't have the right as a government entity to withhold it from anybody else who asks for it", says Evans. Alan Gernhardt at the Virginia Freedom of Information Advisory Council says the videos could fall under FOIA's criminal investigative files exemption, especially if they were shown at a preliminary hearing. "They're not actually introduced into the court file", he says.|access-date=February 27, 2018|archive-date=March 1, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210301092212/https://issuu.com/cvilleweekly/docs/3007_issue|url-status=live}}</ref> The helicopter footage was from the same helicopter that later crashed.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2017/12/14/neo-nazi-driver-charged-first-degree-murder-charlottesville-car-attack/954321001/|website=]|date=2017-12-14|title=Alleged reckless driver charged with first-degree murder in Charlottesville car attack|first=Mike|last=James|quote=The video, showed in court by prosecutor Nina-Alice Antony, included some of the final words in the helicopter by crew members, Lt. H. Jay Cullen and Trooper-Pilot Berke M.M. Bates, were monitoring the demonstration. About three hours after the airborne officers witnessed Fields's alleged attack and followed his vehicle as it sped away, the helicopter crashed while Cullen and Bates were flying to another assignment, killing both men. The cause of the crash is still under investigation, the Post reported.|access-date=February 28, 2018|archive-date=July 6, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210706170913/http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2017/12/14/neo-nazi-driver-charged-first-degree-murder-charlottesville-car-attack/954321001/|url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
On June 27, 2018, Fields was charged with multiple federal ]s, including one act which led to the death of Heather Heyer, and 28 counts of hate crimes "causing bodily injury and involving an attempt to kill" referring to the dozens of others injured during the attack.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/man-accused-of-driving-into-crowd-at-unite-the-right-rally-charged-with-federal-hate-crimes/2018/06/27/09cdce3a-7a20-11e8-80be-6d32e182a3bc_story.html|title=Man accused of driving into crowd at 'Unite the Right' rally charged with federal hate crimes|last1=Heim|first1=Joe|date=2018-06-27|newspaper=]|access-date=2018-06-27|last2=Barrett|first2=Devlin|issn=0190-8286|archive-date=October 22, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201022043551/https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/man-accused-of-driving-into-crowd-at-unite-the-right-rally-charged-with-federal-hate-crimes/2018/06/27/09cdce3a-7a20-11e8-80be-6d32e182a3bc_story.html|url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
Fields' trial in Virginia state court lasted two weeks.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-virginia-protests/white-nationalist-convicted-of-murdering-protester-in-charlottesville-virginia-idUSKBN1O60W7|first=Gary|last=Robertson|title=White nationalist convicted of murdering protester in Charlottesville, Virginia|work=Reuters|date=2018-12-07|access-date=December 13, 2018|archive-date=April 17, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210417215129/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-virginia-protests/white-nationalist-convicted-of-murdering-protester-in-charlottesville-virginia-idUSKBN1O60W7|url-status=live}}</ref> At trial, Fields did not dispute that he drove the car, but claimed that he acted out of fear and lacked the intent to kill.<ref name="StateofMind">{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/public-safety/jury-must-decide-defendants-state-of-mind-during-violent-charlottesville-crash/2018/12/06/1910d150-f8e5-11e8-8c9a-860ce2a8148f_story.html|newspaper=]|date=2018-12-06|first1=Kristine|last1=Phillips|first2=Joe|last2=Heim|title=Jury must decide defendant's state of mind during deadly Charlottesville crash|access-date=December 13, 2018|archive-date=January 26, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210126022939/https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/public-safety/jury-must-decide-defendants-state-of-mind-during-violent-charlottesville-crash/2018/12/06/1910d150-f8e5-11e8-8c9a-860ce2a8148f_story.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="StockmanRelivesTrama">{{cite news|first=Farah|last=Stockman|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/05/us/charlottesville-trial-fields.html|date=2018-12-05|title=In Charlottesville Murder Trial, Courtroom Relives Trauma of a Violent Day|newspaper=New York Times|access-date=December 13, 2018|archive-date=April 17, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210417221951/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/05/us/charlottesville-trial-fields.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Video footage and eyewitness testimony showed that Fields was not under attack before he rammed his car into a crowd.<ref name="StateofMind"/><ref name="StockmanRelivesTrama"/> Other evidence introduced at trial included a text message exchange the day before the rally, in which Fields' mother wrote to him "Be careful" and Fields responded with a picture of ] and the message "We're not the one who have to be careful."<ref name="StockmanRelivesTrama"/> Prosecutors also played a jailhouse phone recording of Fields after the attack, in which Fields called the slain woman's mother "a communist" and "anti-white liberal".<ref name="StockmanRelivesTrama"/> | |||
On December 7, 2018, Fields was found guilty of ] and nine other counts.<ref>{{cite news|author=Staff|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/12/08/white-nationalist-convicted-murdering-protester-charlottesville/|archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/12/08/white-nationalist-convicted-murdering-protester-charlottesville/|archive-date=2022-01-12|url-access=subscription|url-status=live|title=White nationalist convicted of murdering protester in Charlottesville|date=2018-12-07|work=]}}{{cbignore}}</ref> Four days later, the jury recommended to the trial judge a sentence of life in prison plus 419 years, as well as thousands of dollars in fines; the judge accepted the jury's recommendation. The formal sentencing was scheduled to take place in March 2019, at which time the judge could impose a weaker sentence, but not a stronger one.<ref name="Duggan"/><ref>{{cite news|last=Jacobs|first=Julia|date=2018-12-11|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/11/us/james-fields-charlottesville-sentence.html|title=Jury Recommends Life in Prison for James Fields in Fatal Charlottesville Attack|newspaper=]|access-date=December 12, 2018|archive-date=November 4, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211104043825/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/11/us/james-fields-charlottesville-sentence.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Augenstein|first1=Neal|title=Hate-crime death penalty could be sought in Charlottesville car attack|url=https://wtop.com/virginia/2018/06/hate-crime-death-penalty-could-be-sought-in-charlottesville-car-attack/|access-date=2018-12-12|work=]|date=2018-06-28|archive-date=April 17, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210417215129/https://wtop.com/virginia/2018/06/hate-crime-death-penalty-could-be-sought-in-charlottesville-car-attack/|url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
On March 27, 2019, Fields pleaded guilty to 29 federal crimes (out of 30 in the original federal indictment) in exchange for federal prosecutors' agreement not to seek the ].<ref name="JouvenalDuggan"/> | |||
He was sentenced to life in prison on the federal charges on June 28, 2019<ref>{{cite news|first1=Laurel|last1=Wamsley|first2=Bobby|last2=Allyn|title=Neo-Nazi Who Killed Charlottesville Protester Is Sentenced To Life In Prison|url=https://www.npr.org/2019/06/28/736915323/neo-nazi-who-killed-charlottesville-protester-is-sentenced-to-life-in-prison|access-date=2020-03-01|work=]|date=2019-06-28|archive-date=October 31, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211031073435/https://www.npr.org/2019/06/28/736915323/neo-nazi-who-killed-charlottesville-protester-is-sentenced-to-life-in-prison|url-status=live}}</ref> and given another life sentence on July 15, 2019.<ref>{{cite news|first1=Laurel|last1=Wamsley|title=Neo-Nazi James Fields Gets 2nd Life Sentence For Charlottesville Attack|url=https://www.npr.org/2019/07/15/741756615/virginia-court-sentences-neo-nazi-james-fields-jr-to-life-in-prison|access-date=2020-03-01|work=]|date=2019-07-15|archive-date=May 17, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210517035028/https://www.npr.org/2019/07/15/741756615/virginia-court-sentences-neo-nazi-james-fields-jr-to-life-in-prison|url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
===Assault of DeAndre Harris=== | |||
{{Main|Assault of DeAndre Harris}} | |||
Twenty-year-old ], a former special education instruction assistant<ref name="BBC_Charlottesville">{{cite news|date=2017-10-12|title=Black man beaten in Charlottesville far-right rally charged|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-41599533|access-date=2017-10-13|archive-date=October 13, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171013003707/http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-41599533|url-status=live}}</ref> from Charlottesville, was ] after intervening swinging a flashlight in a struggle between Corey Long and white supremacists, an assault that was captured by photographers and video footage.<ref name="Robles" /><ref name="Wilson">{{cite news|first=Patrick|last=Wilson|url=https://dailyprogress.com/news/local/mcauliffe-wants-arrests-in-beating-of-deandre-harris-during-white/article_d7e6b88e-86df-11e7-8aec-3b49ad23a03b.html|title=McAuliffe wants arrests in beating of Deandre Harris during white supremacist violence|newspaper=Richmond Times-Dispatch|date=2017-08-21|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170822191745/https://dailyprogress.com/news/local/mcauliffe-wants-arrests-in-beating-of-deandre-harris-during-white/article_d7e6b88e-86df-11e7-8aec-3b49ad23a03b.html|archive-date=2017-08-22}}</ref> Subsequent footage showed a group of six men beating Harris with poles, a metal pipe, and wooden slabs,<ref name="RoblesMenArrests">{{cite news|first=Frances|last=Robles|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/26/us/charlottesville-arrests.html|title=Two Men Arrested in Connection With Charlottesville Violence|newspaper=]|date=2017-08-26|access-date=May 13, 2024|archive-date=July 10, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210710193213/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/26/us/charlottesville-arrests.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Robles" /><ref name="Matray">{{cite news|first=Margaret|last=Matray|url=https://pilotonline.com/news/local/peace-walk-planned-for-suffolk-native-beaten-by-racists-in/article_044df878-ac87-57dc-b46c-7e0108c2a14b.html|title=Peace walk planned for Suffolk native beaten by racists in Charlottesville|work=Virginian-Pilot|date=2017-08-19|access-date=2017-08-22|archive-date=2018-10-22|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181022013803/https://pilotonline.com/news/local/peace-walk-planned-for-suffolk-native-beaten-by-racists-in/article_044df878-ac87-57dc-b46c-7e0108c2a14b.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> as Harris attempted to get off the ground.<ref name="Matray" /> He received a head laceration requiring stitches, a concussion, a knee injury, a fractured wrist, and a spinal injury.<ref name="BBC_Charlottesville" /><ref name="WaPo_DeAndreHarris">{{cite news|last=Shapira|first=Ian|date=2017-10-12|title=Black man beaten by white supremacists in Charlottesville turns himself in to police|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/black-man-beaten-by-white-supremacists-in-charlottesville-turns-himself-in-to-police/2017/10/12/2dad7a1c-af73-11e7-9e58-e6288544af98_story.html|access-date=2017-10-13|archive-date=November 6, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201106061414/https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/black-man-beaten-by-white-supremacists-in-charlottesville-turns-himself-in-to-police/2017/10/12/2dad7a1c-af73-11e7-9e58-e6288544af98_story.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="JackmanWaPo">{{cite news|first=Tom|last=Jackman|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/public-safety/three-men-charged-in-charlottesville-attacks-on-counterprotesters/2017/08/27/f08930a4-8b5a-11e7-84c0-02cc069f2c37_story.html|title=Three men charged in Charlottesville attacks on counterprotesters|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=2017-08-27|access-date=May 13, 2024|archive-date=July 18, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210718215942/https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/public-safety/three-men-charged-in-charlottesville-attacks-on-counterprotesters/2017/08/27/f08930a4-8b5a-11e7-84c0-02cc069f2c37_story.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The attack was investigated by Charlottesville police, with help from the Virginia State Police and the FBI.<ref name="Wilson" /> Four men were arrested and charged with ], a felony, in connection with the attack on Harris. Two of them, Alex Michael Ramos of Georgia, who received six years, and Jacob Scott Goodwin of Arkansas who had worn a military helmet and full-length body shield while kicking Harris on the ground, who got eight years, were convicted following ]s in Charlottesville.<ref name="Shapiro">{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/fourth-attacker-sentenced-in-charlottesville-parking-garage-beating-of-black-man/2019/08/27/42b7c5a2-c82b-11e9-a1fe-ca46e8d573c0_story.html|title=Fourth attacker sentenced in Charlottesville parking garage beating of black man|newspaper=]|first=Ian|last=Shapira|date=2019-08-27|access-date=2020-03-28|archive-date=July 18, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210718222207/https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/fourth-attacker-sentenced-in-charlottesville-parking-garage-beating-of-black-man/2019/08/27/42b7c5a2-c82b-11e9-a1fe-ca46e8d573c0_story.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="nbc29 2">{{cite news|first=Taylor|last=Gleason|date=2018-05-03|title=Updated: Jury Finds Ramos Guilty of Malicious Wounding|url-status=dead|work=NBC 29 Charlottesville|location=Charlottesville|url=http://www.nbc29.com/story/38103796/alex-michael-ramos-court-05-03-2018|access-date=2018-05-03|archive-date=2018-08-08|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180808220435/http://www.nbc29.com/story/38103796/alex-michael-ramos-court-05-03-2018}}</ref> Daniel Borden, of Ohio, was sentenced to nearly four years.<ref name="Shapiro" /><ref name="Knight">{{cite news|first=Cameron|last=Knight|url=https://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/crime/crime-and-courts/2018/05/22/charlottesville-ex-mason-student-daniel-borden-pleads-guilty-attack/633192002/|title=Former Mason student Daniel Borden pleads guilty in Charlottesville attack|work=Cincinnati Enquirer|date=2018-05-22|access-date=May 13, 2024|archive-date=December 4, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201204012215/https://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/crime/crime-and-courts/2018/05/22/charlottesville-ex-mason-student-daniel-borden-pleads-guilty-attack/633192002/|url-status=live}}</ref> The fourth assailant, Tyler Watkins Davis, who had struck Harris once with a flagpole and gashed his scalp badly, was sentenced to 23 months in jail.<ref>{{cite news|first=John|last=Early|url=http://www.nbc29.com/story/38237585/daniel-patrick-borden-court-05-21-2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180524083650/http://www.nbc29.com/story/38237585/daniel-patrick-borden-court-05-21-2018|archive-date=2018-05-24|title=Daniel Borden Found Guilty of Malicious Wounding|work=NBC 29|date=2018-05-21|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="Shapiro" /> Two other assailants had not been identified, though there was video and photographs of both. Police named one "Red Beard" and the other "Preppy".<ref name="Shapiro" /> | |||
The charge<ref>{{cite news|date=2017-10-12|title=Black man beaten at racist rally charged|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-41599533|access-date=2020-06-15|archive-date=October 13, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171013003707/http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-41599533|url-status=live}}</ref> against Harris arose from the claim of Harold Crews, the state chairman of the ], that Harris had attacked him. In March 2018, a judge ] Harris, finding that while Crews was trying to retain a Confederate flag being grabbed by another black counterprotester, Harris had believed Crews was spearing the man with the flagpole, prompting Harris to act in defense of his friend.<ref>{{cite news|title=DeAndre Harris, Beaten by White Supremacists in Charlottesville, Is Found Not Guilty of Assault|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/16/us/deandre-harris-charlottesville.html|access-date=2021-10-12|date=2018-03-16|newspaper=]|first=Christine|last=Hauser|archive-date=November 4, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211104043726/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/16/us/deandre-harris-charlottesville.html|url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
===Fatal helicopter crash=== | |||
Around 4:40 p.m.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.wsls.com/news/virginia/new-details-deadly-virginia-state-police-helicopter-crash|title=New details: Deadly Virginia State Police helicopter crash|date=2017-08-15|work=WSLS|access-date=2017-08-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170816061748/https://www.wsls.com/news/virginia/new-details-deadly-virginia-state-police-helicopter-crash|archive-date=2017-08-16|url-status=live}}</ref> on August 12, a ] helicopter (N31VA) owned by the ] crashed {{convert|7|mi|km}} southwest of Charlottesville-Albemarle Airport, killing two Virginia state troopers who were on board. Lieutenant H. Jay Cullen, 48, of ], and Trooper-Pilot Berke M. M. Bates, 40, of ], were on the way to assist with security and public safety in the city. The crash was investigated by the ], ] (NTSB),<ref name="NTSB Update on Investigation Into Crash of Virginia State Police Helicopter">{{cite press release|url=https://www.ntsb.gov/news/press-releases/Pages/PR20170814.aspx|title=NTSB Update on Investigation Into Crash of Virginia State Police Helicopter|publisher=]|archive-url=https://archive.today/20170817131429/https://www.ntsb.gov/news/press-releases/Pages/PR20170814.aspx|archive-date=2017-08-17|url-status=dead|access-date=2017-08-16}}</ref> and Virginia State Police.<ref name="CBS News">{{cite news|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/helicopter-crashes-near-charlottesville|title=2 dead in helicopter crash near Charlottesville, police say|date=2017-08-12|access-date=2017-08-12|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170813071130/http://www.cbsnews.com/news/helicopter-crashes-near-charlottesville|archive-date=2017-08-13|url-status=live|work=CBS News}}</ref><ref name="Kelsey">{{cite news|first=Adam|last=Kelsey|url=https://abcnews.go.com/US/dead-helicopter-crash-charlottesville-virginia/story?id=49182205|title=2 Virginia state troopers assisting Charlottesville protest response die in helicopter accident|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170813050828/http://abcnews.go.com/US/dead-helicopter-crash-charlottesville-virginia/story?id=49182205|archive-date=2017-08-13|work=CBS News|date=2017-08-12}}</ref><ref name="State troopers in VA crash had close ties to East Tennessee">{{cite web|url=https://www.timesfreepress.com/news/local/story/2017/aug/13/troopers-killed-charlottesville-helicopter-crash-had-close-ties-east-tennessee/443340/|date=2017-08-13|title=Troopers killed in Charlottesville helicopter crash had close ties to East Tennessee|last1=Staff Report|website=Chattanooga Times Free Press|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170815100544/http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/local/story/2017/aug/13/troopers-killed-charlottesville-helicopter-crash-had-close-ties-east-tennessee/443340|archive-date=2017-08-15|url-status=live|access-date=2017-08-15}}</ref> The final report released in July 2020 determined that the helicopter crashed because the pilot lost control after entering a ].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://aerossurance.com/helicopters/vrs-virginia-state-police-b407/|work=aerossurance.com|access-date=2021-10-11|title=Vortex Ring State: Virginia State Police Bell 407 Fatal Accident|date=2020-07-18|archive-date=2021-11-04|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211104212616/https://aerossurance.com/helicopters/vrs-virginia-state-police-b407/|url-status=dead}}</ref> | |||
===Foreign interference=== | |||
Citing an FBI source, Virginia Representative ] has stated that racial divisions fomented by Russian agents contributed to violence at the rally.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2018/08/11/russians-involved-unite-right-charlottesville-tom-garrett-jr/966669002/|title=GOP lawmaker: Russian meddling stirred racial divisions at fatal Charlottesville rally|last=Shesgreen|first=Deirdre|date=2018-08-11|website=]|access-date=2018-08-11|archive-date=April 17, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210417211629/https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2018/08/11/russians-involved-unite-right-charlottesville-tom-garrett-jr/966669002/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://thehill.com/homenews/house/401403-gop-lawmaker-fbi-told-me-russia-contributed-to-what-happened-in/|title=GOP lawmaker: FBI told me Russia contributed to last year's violence at Charlottesville rally|last=Brinbaum|first=Emily|date=2018-08-11|website=]|access-date=2018-08-11}}</ref> | |||
==Reactions== | |||
===Criticism of the police's handling of the rally=== | |||
] | |||
====ACLU's criticism, ProPublica report, and officials' response==== | |||
In the aftermath of the rally and the car ramming, some criticized the police handling of the rally. Claire Gastañaga, executive director of the Virginia ACLU, wrote that "The situation that occurred was preventable" and the ACLU's lawsuit, which resulted in a federal court granting an injunction allowing the rally to go forward at Lee Park, "did not cause it".<ref name="Zullo">{{cite news|first=Robert|last=Zullo|url=https://richmond.com/news/virginia-officials-defend-handling-of-violent-charlottesville-rally-and-counterprotest/article_bcb2d481-bb3f-5fd6-982c-96328d02ab8e.html|title=Virginia officials defend handling of violent Charlottesville rally and counterprotest|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170814225844/http://www.richmond.com/news/virginia-officials-defend-handling-of-violent-charlottesville-rally-and-counterprotest/article_bcb2d481-bb3f-5fd6-982c-96328d02ab8e.html|archive-date=2017-08-14|work=Richmond Times-Dispatch|date=2017-08-14}}</ref> Gastañaga wrote that: "The lack of any physical separation of the protesters and counterprotesters on the street was contributing to the potential of violence. did not respond. In fact, law enforcement was standing passively by, waiting for violence to take place, so that they would have grounds to declare an emergency, declare an 'unlawful assembly' and clear the area."<ref name="Zullo" /> | |||
On August 12, investigative news organization ] published an article reporting that Virginia State Police troopers and Charlottesville police "wearing protective gear watched silently from behind an array of metal barricades" and allowed "white supremacists and counterprotesters to physically battle" without intervening. ] wrote that in "one of countless such confrontations", police watched passively as "an angry mob of white supremacists formed a battle line across from a group of counterprotesters, many of them older and gray-haired, who had gathered near a church parking lot. On command from their leader, the young men charged and pummeled their ideological foes with abandon. One woman was hurled to the pavement, and the blood from her bruised head was instantly visible."<ref name="ThompsonFaturechi">{{cite news|last1=Thompson|first1=A. C.|first2=Robert|last2=Faturechi|first3=Karim|last3=Hajj|url=https://www.propublica.org/article/police-stood-by-as-mayhem-mounted-in-charlottesville|title=Police Stood By As Mayhem Mounted in Charlottesville|work=]|date=2017-08-12|access-date=May 13, 2024|archive-date=November 5, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211105055158/https://www.propublica.org/article/police-stood-by-as-mayhem-mounted-in-charlottesville|url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
Virginia officials defended the police actions. Governor ] said police did a "magnificent job" and, "We were unfortunately sued by the ACLU, and the judge ruled against us. That rally should not have been in the middle of downtown: to disperse all those people from the park where they dispersed all over the city streets and it became a powder keg. We have to do a better job working with the judiciary. They need to listen to local city officials. ... I am angry that this was not moved to McIntire Park where the city of Charlottesville requested."<ref name="Zullo" /> | |||
Charlottesville Police Chief Al Thomas said that while he had "regrets" about planning, police officers had attempted to separate protesters and counterprotesters but were unable to effectively do so, in part because "Unite the Right" participants had failed to follow a previously agreed-upon plan for entering Lee Park:<ref name="Zullo" /><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.fox5dc.com/news/charlottesville-police-chief-has-regrets-after-three-lives-lost-during-violent-weekend|title=Charlottesville police chief has 'regrets' after three lives lost during violent weekend|work=]|date=2017-08-14|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170817034402/http://www.fox5dc.com/news/273802543-story|archive-date=2017-08-17}}</ref> "We had a plan to bring them in at the rear of the park. They had agreed to cooperate with the plan; unfortunately they did not follow the plan. They began entering at different locations in and around the park."<ref name="FreemanHipolit">{{cite news|first1=Vernon Jr.|last1=Freeman|first2=Melissa|last2=Hipolit|url=https://www.wtvr.com/2017/08/14/charlottesville-police-chief-denies-officers-were-told-not-to-intervene-in-rally|url-status=live|title=Charlottesville Police Chief denies officers were told not to intervene in rally|work=WTVR|date=2017-08-14|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170817075643/http://wtvr.com/2017/08/14/charlottesville-police-chief-denies-officers-were-told-not-to-intervene-in-rally|archive-date=2017-08-17}}</ref> Thomas also wrote: "They also chose to leave the park on a number of occasions, entering the area designated for counterprotesters, walking along the street and confronting counter-protestors."<ref name="Palma">{{cite web|first=Bethania|last=Palma|url=https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/were-police-told-stand-down-charlottesville/|title=FACT CHECK: Were Police Told to 'Stand Down' Amid Violence in Charlottesville?|date=2017-08-17|publisher=Snopes|access-date=May 13, 2024|archive-date=November 2, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211102211712/https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/were-police-told-stand-down-charlottesville/|url-status=live}}</ref> Thomas denied the implications by the Virginia ACLU that police were ordered not to intervene or make arrests, saying "There were no directives from me or any other commander to stand down or disengage" and that "there were a number of altercations throughout the area in which officers intervened".<ref name="Palma" /> | |||
====Heaphy report==== | |||
Following the rally and criticism of the police's handling of it, the City of Charlottesville hired ], the former ], to undertake an independent review of the "Unite the Right" rally and two other supremacist events in the city.<ref name="Robles" /> City officials also "urged residents to come forward with firsthand accounts of crimes that went ignored".<ref name="Robles" /> | |||
On December 1, 2017, Heaphy and his law firm ] released the final report of their independent review. The detailed report was sharply critical of the city's handling of the rally. The report found that the Charlottesville Police Department had failed to adequately prepare for its events, had a flawed plan of response, and was not properly trained. The report also criticized actions by the Charlottesville City Council, attorneys from the city and state, the University of Virginia and the Virginia State Police.<ref name="HeimHeaphy">{{cite news|first=Joe|last=Heim|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/charlottesville-response-to-white-supremacist-rally-sharply-criticized-in-new-report/2017/12/01/9c59fe98-d6a3-11e7-a986-d0a9770d9a3e_story.html|title=Charlottesville response to white supremacist rally is sharply criticized in report|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=2017-12-01|access-date=May 13, 2024|archive-date=November 6, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211106215435/https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/charlottesville-response-to-white-supremacist-rally-sharply-criticized-in-new-report/2017/12/01/9c59fe98-d6a3-11e7-a986-d0a9770d9a3e_story.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The report specifically found that: | |||
* Law enforcement failed to break up fights or take an active role in preventing fights and were instructed not to intervene except in cases of "extreme violence". This decision represented "a tremendous tactical failure that has real and lasting consequences".<ref name="HeimHeaphy" /><ref>{{cite news|first=Sarah|last=Rankin|url=https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/report-coming-charlottesville-white-nationalist-rally-51506215|title=Report: Officer safety put ahead of public safety at rally|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171203075143/http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/report-coming-charlottesville-white-nationalist-rally-51506215|archive-date=2017-12-03|agency=Associated Press|date=2017-12-01}}</ref> Police supervisors "devised a poorly conceived plan that under-equipped and misaligned hundreds of officers. Execution of that plan elevated officer safety over public safety."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/dec/02/charlottesville-report-criticises-police-response-and-blocking-of-investigation|title=Charlottesville report criticises police response and blocking of investigation|agency=Associated Press|date=2017-12-02|newspaper=]|access-date=May 13, 2024|archive-date=October 18, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211018080442/https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/dec/02/charlottesville-report-criticises-police-response-and-blocking-of-investigation|url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
* Charlottesville police and Virginia State Police failed to operate under a unified command and did not even use the same radio channel.<ref name="HeimHeaphy" /> | |||
* University of Virginia officials were aware of plans for a torchlit rally by white nationalists but "took no action to enforce separation between groups or otherwise prevent violence".<ref>{{cite news|first=Maggie|last=Snow|url=https://www.cavalierdaily.com/article/2017/12/heaphy-report-criticizes-woefully-inadequate-response-from-uva-police-on-aug-11|title=Heaphy report criticizes 'woefully inadequate' response from U.Va. Police on Aug. 11|work=Cavalier Daily|date=2017-12-07|access-date=May 13, 2024|archive-date=November 4, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211104212935/https://www.cavalierdaily.com/article/2017/12/heaphy-report-criticizes-woefully-inadequate-response-from-uva-police-on-aug-11|url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
===Responses by organizers and alt-right personalities=== | |||
On the afternoon of August 13, Unite the Right organizer ] attempted to hold a press conference in front of Charlottesville City Hall, but was forced to abandon the conference after being attacked by an angry crowd. One man reportedly either punched or attempted to punch Kessler, and a woman tackled Kessler as he was trying to leave the scene. Police came to Kessler's aid and escorted him from the area.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/charlottesville-virginia-unite-the-right-jason-kessler-tackled-podium/|title=Angry crowd attacks "Unite the Right" organizer in Charlottesville|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170814020340/http://www.cbsnews.com/news/charlottesville-virginia-unite-the-right-jason-kessler-tackled-podium|archive-date=2017-08-14|url-status=live|work=CBS News|agency=Associated Press|date=2017-08-13}}</ref> Hundreds of people shouted "shame" at Kessler and "say her name" (referring to Heather Heyer, the woman killed the day before).<ref name="O'ConnorMartz">{{cite news|first1=Michael|last1=O'Connor|first2=Michael|last2=Martz|url=https://www.roanoke.com/news/virginia/as-charlottesville-and-virginia-mourn-losses-rally-follow-up-falls/article_893efbc8-88bf-5a70-a65d-5f56e2d6b7b3.html|title=As Charlottesville and Virginia mourn losses, rally follow-up falls flat|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200910133239/https://roanoke.com/news/virginia/as-charlottesville-and-virginia-mourn-losses-rally-follow-up-falls/article_893efbc8-88bf-5a70-a65d-5f56e2d6b7b3.html|archive-date=2020-09-10|url-status=live|work=Richmond Times-Dispatch|date=2017-08-14}}</ref> Before ending the short news conference Kessler stated: "I disavow any political violence and what happened yesterday was tragic." He later posted videos online in which he blamed the city for the violence and death.<ref name="kessler3">{{cite news|url=https://dailyprogress.com/news/local/kessler-blames-city-officials-as-news-conference-dissolves-into-chaos/article_cc7ae852-8096-11e7-8198-bbb38b7b63d1.html|title=CSaurez blames city officials as news conference dissolves into chaos|first=Chris|last=Saurez|work=The Daily Progress|date=2017-08-13|access-date=2017-08-17|archive-date=October 25, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211025190206/https://dailyprogress.com/news/local/kessler-blames-city-officials-as-news-conference-dissolves-into-chaos/article_cc7ae852-8096-11e7-8198-bbb38b7b63d1.html|url-status=live}}</ref> One man was charged with misdemeanor assault and battery for allegedly spitting on Kessler during the news conference.<ref name="O'ConnorMartz" /> | |||
Speaking in an interview on the morning of the rally, former ] Grand Wizard ] called the protests "a turning point for the people of this country. We are determined to take our country back. We're going to fulfill the promises of Donald Trump. That's why we voted for Donald Trump, because he said he's going to take our country back." Following Trump's initial comments made three days after the rally, Duke tweeted, "Thank you President Trump for your honesty & courage to tell the truth about #Charlottesville & condemn the leftist terrorists in BLM/Antifa."<ref>{{cite news|last1=Cohen|first1=Zachary|title=Trump's mixed messaging sparks concerns of 'emboldened' alt-right|url=https://www.cnn.com/2017/08/19/politics/trump-remarks-alt-right/index.html|date=2017-08-19|work=]|access-date=2017-08-20|archive-date=October 30, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211030053522/https://www.cnn.com/2017/08/19/politics/trump-remarks-alt-right/index.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Nelson|first1=Libby|title="Why we voted for Donald Trump": David Duke explains the white supremacist Charlottesville protests|url=https://www.vox.com/2017/8/12/16138358/charlottesville-protests-david-duke-kkk|work=Vox|access-date=2019-07-28|date=2017-08-12|archive-date=August 20, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180820082342/https://www.vox.com/2017/8/12/16138358/charlottesville-protests-david-duke-kkk|url-status=live}}</ref> '']'' wrote of Trump's response, "He didn't attack us.... No condemnation at all. When asked to condemn, he just walked out of the room. Really, really good. God bless him."<ref>{{cite news|last=Wang|first=Amy B.|date=2017-08-13|title=One group loved Trump's remarks about Charlottesville: White supremacists|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2017/08/13/one-group-loved-trumps-remarks-about-charlottesville-white-supremacists/|access-date=2024-02-27|newspaper=Washington Post|language=en-US|issn=0190-8286|archive-date=December 11, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221211072847/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2017/08/13/one-group-loved-trumps-remarks-about-charlottesville-white-supremacists/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>Ingram, Penelope, 'White Identity Politics', Imperiled Whiteness: How Hollywood and Media Make Race in "Postracial" America (Jackson, MS, 2023; online edn, Mississippi Scholarship Online, 18 Jan. 2024), https://doi.org/10.14325/mississippi/9781496845498.003.0002 {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240513041124/https://chooser.crossref.org/?doi=10.14325%2Fmississippi%2F9781496845498.003.0002 |date=May 13, 2024 }}, accessed 26 Feb. 2024.</ref> | |||
Spencer, who was scheduled to speak at the Unite the Right event, said he was not responsible for the violence, and he blamed counterprotesters and police.<ref name="APDecry" /> | |||
On August 17, ] ], former editor of '']'', the "platform for the alt-right",<ref>{{cite news|last1=Haberman|first1=Maggie|last2=Thrush|first2=Glenn|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/14/us/politics/steve-bannon-trump-white-house.html|title=Bannon in Limbo as Trump Faces Growing Calls for the Strategist's Ouster|date=2017-08-14|work=]|access-date=2021-10-28|archive-date=August 15, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170815032653/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/14/us/politics/steve-bannon-trump-white-house.html|url-status=live}}</ref> made an unsolicited call to the editor of ]. When the editor asked him about the "ugly white nationalism epitomized by the racist violence in Charlottesville and Trump's reluctance to condemn it," Bannon said that ethno-nationalists were losers and a fringe element played up too much by the media.<ref>{{cite news|last=Levin|first=Sam|url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/aug/17/steve-bannon-calls-far-right-losers-trump-warns-china-trade-war-american-prospect|title=Steve Bannon brands far right 'losers' and contradicts Trump in surprise interview|work=]|date=2017-08-17|access-date=2021-10-28|archive-date=August 17, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170817090108/https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/aug/17/steve-bannon-calls-far-right-losers-trump-warns-china-trade-war-american-prospect|url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
===Vigils and protests=== | |||
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] at impromptu memorial to Heather Heyer]] | |||
On August 13, the day following the rally, many groups organized vigils and demonstrations in a number of cities across the country and abroad with a variety of goals, including showing support for those against white supremacy, pushing for the removal of Confederate monuments, and denouncing fascism and actions and statements by the president of the United States.<ref name="APDecry">{{cite web|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/newswires/new-york/protests-vigils-decry-white-supremacist-rally-article-1.3408420|title=Protests, vigils around US decry white supremacist rally|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170814021328/http://www.nydailynews.com/newswires/new-york/protests-vigils-decry-white-supremacist-rally-article-1.3408420|archive-date=2017-08-14|agency=Associated Press|date=2017-08-13|website=nydailynews.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Stack|first=Liam|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/17/world/charlottesville-trump-world-reaction.html|title=Charlottesville Violence and Trump's Reaction Draw Criticism Abroad|work=]|date=2017-08-17|access-date=2021-10-31|archive-date=November 4, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211104131955/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/17/world/charlottesville-trump-world-reaction.html|url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
In ], demonstrators at the "Peace and Sanity" rally heard addresses by ] ] and City Comptroller ].<ref name="APDecry" /> In Los Angeles, hundreds gathered on the steps of ] to condemn white-nationalist violence and honor those killed.<ref>{{cite news|last=Barboza|first=Tony|date=2017-08-13|url=https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-protests-charlottesville-20170813-story.html|title=Demonstrators gather in downtown L.A. to protest Charlottesville violence|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170814021844/http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-protests-charlottesville-20170813-story.html|archive-date=2017-08-14|work=]}}</ref> | |||
Thousands of anti-Trump protesters marched around ], with many shouting "Shame, shame, shame!" and "Lock Him Up!". In response, pro-Trump counterprotesters waved American flags and yelled "Make America White Again" at protesters, a play on the Trump campaign slogan ].<ref>{{cite news|last1=Burke|first1=Kerry|last2=Goldberg|first2=Noah|last3=Otis|first3=Ginger Adams|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/anti-trump-rally-draws-thousands-president-return-nyc-article-1.3411491|title=Anti-Trump rally draws thousands for President's return to NYC|newspaper=]|access-date=2017-08-15|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170815013338/http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/anti-trump-rally-draws-thousands-president-return-nyc-article-1.3411491|archive-date=2017-08-15}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Garcia|first=Catherine|url=https://theweek.com/speedreads/718387/manhattan-trump-greeted-by-protesters-shouts-new-york-hates|title=In Manhattan, Trump greeted by protesters, shouts of 'New York hates you'|newspaper=]|date=2017-08-14|access-date=2017-08-15|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170815054317/http://theweek.com/speedreads/718387/manhattan-trump-greeted-by-protesters-shouts-new-york-hates|archive-date=2017-08-15}}</ref> | |||
] report on Charlottesville rally]] | |||
Confrontations at the park continued on Tuesday, August 15, with counter-protesters demanding that a North Carolina man in Confederate uniform holding a Confederate flag and ] leave the park. When police asked him if he would like to leave, he said he would and was escorted to his vehicle.<ref name="dp170815">{{cite news|last1=Bragg|first1=Michael|title=N.C. man in Confederate uniform with rifle in Emancipation Park met by counter-protesters|url=https://dailyprogress.com/news/local/man-in-confederate-uniform-with-rifle-in-emancipation-park-met/article_8fece36c-81c8-11e7-9a3c-bb3e2637cc8d.html|newspaper=Daily Progress|date=2017-08-15|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170828015334/http://www.dailyprogress.com/news/local/man-in-confederate-uniform-with-rifle-in-emancipation-park-met/article_8fece36c-81c8-11e7-9a3c-bb3e2637cc8d.html|archive-date=2017-08-28}}</ref> | |||
===Online responses=== | |||
] ] demanded that '']'' move its website's domain to another provider after editor ] described the car-ramming victim in derogatory terms.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/aug/14/anonymous-hackers-take-over-neo-nazi-website-daily-stormer-charlottesville-heather-heyer|title=Message showing apparent hack appears on neo-Nazi website the Daily Stormer|last=Grierson|first=Jamie|date=2017-08-14|work=The Guardian|access-date=2017-08-19|issn=0261-3077|url-status=live|archive-date=2017-08-14|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170814224550/https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/aug/14/anonymous-hackers-take-over-neo-nazi-website-daily-stormer-charlottesville-heather-heyer}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{cite news|last1=Mettler|first1=Katie|last2=Selk|first2=Avi|date=2017-08-14|title=GoDaddy – then Google – ban neo-Nazi site Daily Stormer for disparaging Charlottesville victim|language=en-US|newspaper=The Washington Post|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2017/08/14/godaddy-bans-neo-nazi-site-daily-stormer-for-disparaging-woman-killed-at-charlottesville-rally/|access-date=2022-04-19|issn=0190-8286|archive-date=September 5, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170905053623/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2017/08/14/godaddy-bans-neo-nazi-site-daily-stormer-for-disparaging-woman-killed-at-charlottesville-rally/|url-status=live}}</ref> ''The'' ''Daily Stormer'' then moved to ] on August 14. Google canceled the site's registration for violation of its ] just over 3 hours after ''The Daily Stormer'' registered for the service.<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.businessinsider.com/google-cancels-domain-registration-for-daily-stormer-2017-8|date=2017-08-14|first=Steve|last=Kovach|title=Google cancels domain registration for Daily Stormer|work=Business Insider|access-date=2017-08-15|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170815012902/http://www.businessinsider.com/google-cancels-domain-registration-for-daily-stormer-2017-8|archive-date=2017-08-15}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Google cancels Neo-Nazi site registration soon after it was dumped by GoDaddy|date=2017-08-14|work=]|agency=Reuters|url=https://www.cnbc.com/2017/08/14/godaddy-boots-the-daily-stormer-because-of-what-it-wrote-about-charlottesville-victim.html|access-date=2017-08-14|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170814224927/https://www.cnbc.com/2017/08/14/godaddy-boots-the-daily-stormer-because-of-what-it-wrote-about-charlottesville-victim.html|archive-date=2017-08-14}}</ref> | |||
] suspended accounts of the right-wing extremist groups run by several of the rally organizers for violating the website's terms of service, which forbid raising money for "activities that promote hate, violence or racial intolerance".<ref name=PayPalSuspends>{{cite news|first=Jonathan|last=Berr|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/paypal-suspends-dozens-of-racist-groups-sites-altright-com/|title=PayPal cuts off payments to right-wing extremists|work=CBS News|date=2017-08-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170817052043/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/paypal-suspends-dozens-of-racist-groups-sites-altright-com/|archive-date=2017-08-17|url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
] collective ] shut down numerous websites associated with the Ku Klux Klan and neo-Nazi groups following the protests.<ref>{{cite news|first1=Cara|last1=McGoogan|first2=Mark|last2=Molloy|date=2017-08-14|title=Anonymous shuts down neo-Nazi and KKK websites after Charlottesville rally|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/2017/08/14/anonymous-shuts-neo-nazi-kkk-websites-charlottesville-rally/|work=The Telegraph|access-date=2017-08-14|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170814213216/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/2017/08/14/anonymous-shuts-neo-nazi-kkk-websites-charlottesville-rally/|url-status=live|archive-date=2017-08-14}}</ref> Alt-right website ] was also hacked.<ref name=":0">{{cite web|url=https://nyadagbladet.se/utrikes/red-ice-tv-har-hackats-av-vansterextremister/|title=Red Ice TV har hackats av vänsterextremister|website=Nya Dagbladet|date=2017-08-12|language=sv-SE|access-date=2017-08-14|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170814214933/https://nyadagbladet.se/utrikes/red-ice-tv-har-hackats-av-vansterextremister/|archive-date=2017-08-14}}</ref> In a video statement, they claimed that their coverage and support of the rally was the cause of the ].<ref name=":0"/><ref>{{citation|last=Red Ice TV|title=Red Ice Websites Hacked – Someone Really Hates Us|date=2017-08-12|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWF5i0qvf3Q|access-date=2017-08-14|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170814053921/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWF5i0qvf3Q|archive-date=2017-08-14}}</ref> A ] server frequented by alt-right elements was also taken down.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.pcgamer.com/discord-shuts-down-altrightcom-server-after-charlottesville-violence/|title=Discord shuts down AltRight.com server after Charlottesville violence|website=pcgamer.com|access-date=2017-08-15|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210718055148/https://www.pcgamer.com/discord-shuts-down-altrightcom-server-after-charlottesville-violence/|archive-date=2021-07-18}}</ref> | |||
]'' (1943), full film]] | |||
Before the suspect in the vehicular ramming on August 12 was revealed, an online campaign by far-right outlets to identify the driver of the car had been conducted. ] reported that this was "seemingly in hopes of proving the person was not of a right-wing political persuasion" and of blaming a liberal for the attack.<ref name=":3">{{cite web|url=https://money.cnn.com/2017/08/16/media/charlottesville-man-misidentified-plans-lawsuit/index.html|title=Man misidentified as Charlottesville driver had to flee home; plans to sue far-right sites|last=Darcy|first=Oliver|date=2017-08-16|website=CNNMoney|access-date=2017-08-17|archive-date=August 2, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180802101929/https://money.cnn.com/2017/08/16/media/charlottesville-man-misidentified-plans-lawsuit/index.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The far-right news website GotNews and various other outlets misidentified an innocent man as the driver. That man and his family received numerous death threats and were advised by local police to temporarily leave their home.<ref name=":3" /> The family sued GotNews and its editor, ], for ]; in 2018 Johnson and the website agreed to pay the misidentified men nearly $30,000 (~${{Format price|{{Inflation|index=US|value=30000|start_year=2018}}}} in {{Inflation/year|US}}) to ] the suit.<ref name="Barrouquere">{{cite web|first=Brett|last=Barrouquere|url=https://www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2018/06/08/costly-hate|title=Costly Hate|work=Hatewatch|publisher=]|date=2018-06-08|access-date=May 13, 2024|archive-date=June 13, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180613234633/https://www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2018/06/08/costly-hate|url-status=live}}</ref> The suit continues against other "alt-right" figures who promoted the false claims.<ref name="Barrouquere"/> | |||
On Twitter, a group of users ] white nationalist or supremacist marchers from photographs, publicizing at least nine names and identities.<ref>{{cite web|author=Daniel Van Boom|url=https://www.cnet.com/au/news/yes-youre-racist-twitter-user-names-charlottesville-unite-the-right/|title=Yes, You're Racist: Twitter user names Virginia protesters|website=CNET|date=2017-08-14|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170814175441/https://www.cnet.com/au/news/yes-youre-racist-twitter-user-names-charlottesville-unite-the-right|archive-date=2017-08-14}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=Jason Del Rey|date=2017-08-13|url=https://www.vox.com/2017/8/13/16140614/charlottesville-protestor-identities-twitter-yesyoureracist-white-nationalists|title=Twitter users are revealing the identities of Charlottesville white supremacist protestors|website=]|publisher=]|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170815025407/https://www.recode.net/platform/amp/2017/8/13/16140614/charlottesville-protestor-identities-twitter-yesyoureracist-white-nationalists|archive-date=2017-08-15}}</ref> After being identified as a demonstrator at the rally, one individual resigned from his job at a ] in ].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/cole-white-berkeley-hot-dog-stand-cook-charlottesville-protest|title=Hot dog stand cook outed as Charlottesville demonstrator quits job|date=2017-08-15|access-date=2017-08-19|archive-date=July 15, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210715182204/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/cole-white-berkeley-hot-dog-stand-cook-charlottesville-protest/|url-status=live}}</ref> One such individual who remains in online far-right circles as of 2020 is ], a Boston resident, friend of Baked Alaska, and promoter of the "Hitler did nothing wrong" meme.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Ramos|first1=Nestor|title=Outed online, a local man is now tied to Charlottesville rally|url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2017/08/17/outed-online-local-man-now-tied-charlottesville-rally/ogcIJNveEemS1YPSHqzHuN/story.html|work=Boston Globe|date=2017-08-17|access-date=August 26, 2020|archive-date=November 26, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201126060401/https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2017/08/17/outed-online-local-man-now-tied-charlottesville-rally/ogcIJNveEemS1YPSHqzHuN/story.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Petrizzo|first1=Zachary|title=TikTok Purges InfoWars Personalities From the Site|url=https://www.dailydot.com/debug/tiktok-infowars/|work=The Daily Dot|date=2020-05-21|access-date=August 26, 2020|archive-date=November 5, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201105015422/https://www.dailydot.com/debug/tiktok-infowars/|url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
The public shaming reportedly resulted in at least one case of ]: a ] engineering professor was mistakenly identified as being at the rally and subsequently received threatening messages from Twitter users.<ref name="mistakenident">{{cite news|first=Daniel|last=Victor|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/14/us/charlottesville-doxxing.html|title=Amateur Sleuths Aim to Identify Charlottesville Marchers, but Sometimes Misfire|newspaper=The New York Times|date=2017-08-14|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170815105620/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/14/us/charlottesville-doxxing.html|archive-date=2017-08-15}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|work=]|date=2017-08-15|title=Twitter users are outing neo-Nazi Charlottesville demonstrators|first=Donie|last=O'Sullivan|url=https://www.cnn.com/2017/08/14/us/twitter-account-white-nationalist-trnd/index.html|access-date=2017-08-16|quote=In the online rush to name white nationalists in Charlottesville, some mistakes were made|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170815024237/https://edition.cnn.com/2017/08/14/us/twitter-account-white-nationalist-trnd/index.html|archive-date=2017-08-15}}</ref> | |||
'']'' (1943), a short film made by the ] during World War II, found a new audience for its ] and ] themes.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bjpa.org/search-results/publication/19259|last1=Cooper|first1=Eunice|last2=Schneider|first2=Helen|date=1948-03-17|website=Berman Jewish Policy Archive @ Stanford University|series=Department of Scientific Research|publisher=American Jewish Committee|location=New York|pages=1–44|title=Don't Be a Sucker" A Study of An Anti-Discrimination Film|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170212233155/http://www.bjpa.org/Publications/details.cfm?PublicationID=19259|archive-date=2017-02-12|url-status=live|access-date=2017-08-17|quote="Don't Be A Sucker" is an anti-discrimination film produced during World War II by the Army Signal Corps for use with the armed forces. After the war, a shortened version of the film was widely shown both commercially and under educational auspices. In 1947, the Department of Scientific Research of the American Jewish Committee undertook to study the impact of the film. (The data were collected with the cooperation of the Institute of Social Research.)}} ()</ref> It was posted repeatedly as a ].<ref>{{cite news|title=After Charlottesville violence, World War II anti-fascist propaganda video finds a new audience|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2017/08/14/after-charlottesville-violence-world-war-ii-anti-fascist-propaganda-video-finds-new-relevance/|first=Derek|last=Hawkins|newspaper=The Washington Post|publisher=Nash Holdings LLC|date=2017-08-14|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170816194950/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2017/08/14/after-charlottesville-violence-world-war-ii-anti-fascist-propaganda-video-finds-new-relevance/|archive-date=2017-08-16}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Why an Anti-Fascist Short Film Is Going Viral|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2017/08/an-anti-nazi-film-has-its-viral-moment/536739|first=Robinson|last=Meyer|periodical=]|publisher=]|date=2017-08-13|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170816193202/https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2017/08/an-anti-nazi-film-has-its-viral-moment/536739|archive-date=2017-08-16}}</ref> | |||
According to journalist Angela Nagle, the ] subculture on websites like ] and ] changed as a result of the rally. Many who had seen the subculture as a game confronted the reality of other users' alt-right beliefs.<ref>{{cite news|last=Friedersdorf|first=Conor|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/10/the-aclu-should-keep-representing-deplorables/542226/|title=The ACLU Should Keep Representing Deplorables|work=The Atlantic|date=2017-10-06|access-date=2017-10-06|archive-date=July 15, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210715182202/https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/10/the-aclu-should-keep-representing-deplorables/542226/|url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
In a study published for the ], Legocki, Walker and Kiesler (2020) found that over the 18 days following the rally, many social media users acted as "de facto police", using social media to voice concerns and demand action. In the absence of a police presence on Twitter, users directed their messages to Charlottesville City Hall and other agencies, including the FBI, to push for accountability. Concerned citizens around the world turned to Twitter to hold authorities accountable, believing the police had failed to act.<ref>{{cite journal | |||
|last1=Legocki | |||
|first1=Kimberly | |||
|last2=Walker | |||
|first2=Kristen | |||
|last3=Kiesler | |||
|first3=Tina | |||
|date=2020 | |||
|title=Sound and Fury: Digital Vigilantism as a Form of Consumer Voice | |||
|journal=Journal of Public Policy & Marketing | |||
|volume=39 | |||
|issue=4 | |||
|pages=437–455 | |||
|doi=10.1177/0743915620902403 | |||
|url=https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0743915620902403 | |||
|quote=In the Charlottesville incident, the government failed to fulfill the obligations of an agent, thus motivating some citizen-consumers (principals) to act as de facto police, utilizing social media as their medium and their voices as their weaponry. | |||
}}</ref> | |||
===President Trump's response {{anchor|President Trump's statements}}=== | |||
Trump first responded to the torchlight parade on Friday night and the demonstrations on Saturday morning at 1:19 pm on Saturday, August 12, when he tweeted that "e ALL must be united & condemn all that hate stands for." At a previously scheduled bill-signing ceremony two hours after the 1:45 pm vehicular attack, he gave a four-minute statement condemning the "display of hatred, bigotry, and violence on many sides".<ref name="Wagner">{{cite news|last1=Johnson|first1=Jenna|last2=Wagner|first2=John|date=2017-08-12|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-condemns-charlottesville-violence-but-doesnt-single-out-white-nationalists/2017/08/12/933a86d6-7fa3-11e7-9d08-b79f191668ed_story.html|title=Trump condemns Charlottesville violence but doesn't single out white nationalists|newspaper=]|access-date=2021-10-22|archive-date=August 13, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170813062510/https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-condemns-charlottesville-violence-but-doesnt-single-out-white-nationalists/2017/08/12/933a86d6-7fa3-11e7-9d08-b79f191668ed_story.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Kessler|first=Glenn|date=2020-05-08|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/05/08/very-fine-people-charlottesville-who-were-they-2/|title=The 'very fine people' at Charlottesville: Who were they?|newspaper=]|access-date=2021-10-23|archive-date=July 18, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210718190054/https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/05/08/very-fine-people-charlottesville-who-were-they-2/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="kiely">{{cite news|last=Kiely|first=Eugene|title=Fact check: President Trump's press conference, in context|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2017/08/16/fact-check-donald-trump-press-conference-context/571976001/|work=]|date=2017-08-16|access-date=2017-10-25|archive-date=September 26, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170926041248/https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2017/08/16/fact-check-donald-trump-press-conference-context/571976001/|url-status=live}}</ref> His remarks were criticized by the news media as well as political allies and opponents as insufficient and too vague.<ref name="HouseEpstein">{{cite news|first1=Billy|last1=House|first2=Jennifer|last2=Epstein|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-08-13/trump-criticized-for-not-denouncing-white-nationalists-at-rally|access-date=2021-12-28|title=Trump Panned for 'Many Sides' Condemnation of Virginia Violence|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170813053336/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-08-12/trump-condemns-hate-and-violence-in-charlottesville-clashes|archive-date=2017-08-13|url-status=live|work=Bloomberg News|date=2017-08-12}}</ref><ref name="insufficient">{{cite news|title=Trump's Remarks on Charlottesville Violence Are Criticized as Insufficient|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/12/us/trump-charlottesville-protest-nationalist-riot.html|first1=Glenn|last1=Thrush|first2=Maggie|last2=Haberman|work=]|date=2017-08-12|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170813063414/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/12/us/trump-charlottesville-protest-nationalist-riot.html|archive-date=2017-08-13}}</ref> On August 14, he read a statement denouncing the "K.K.K., neo-Nazis, white supremacists and other hate groups ... repugnant to everything we hold dear as Americans" without taking any questions afterwards.<ref name="thrush">{{cite news|last=Thrush|first=Glenn|title=New Outcry as Trump Rebukes Charlottesville Racists 2 Days Later|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/14/us/politics/trump-charlottesville-protest.html|access-date=2017-08-14|work=]|date=2017-08-14|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170814224147/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/14/us/politics/trump-charlottesville-protest.html|archive-date=2017-08-14}}</ref> | |||
====First statements==== | |||
] condemns the violence that occurred at the rally.]] | |||
Trump did not respond to the torchlight parade on Friday night or the demonstrations on Saturday morning until 1:19 pm on Saturday, August 12, when he tweeted, "We ALL must be united & condemn all that hate stands for. There is no place for this kind of violence in America. Lets come together as one!"<ref name="kiely"/><ref name="Wagner"/> | |||
At the bill-signing ceremony, Trump said that "we condemn in the strongest possible terms this egregious display of hatred, bigotry and violence on many sides, on many sides".<ref name="kiely"/><ref name="Wagner"/><ref name="CSPAN august 12 transcript">{{cite web|title=President Trump Condemns Violence Charlottesville VA, Aug 12 2017|url=https://www.c-span.org/video/?432523-1/president-trump-condemns-violence-charlottesville-va|publisher=]|date=2017-08-12|access-date=2017-08-17|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170816192135/https://www.c-span.org/video/?432523-1%2Fpresident-trump-condemns-violence-charlottesville-va|archive-date=2017-08-16}}</ref><ref name="JacobsMurray">{{cite news|first1=Ben|last1=Jacobs|first2=Warren|last2=Murray|url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/aug/12/charlottesville-protest-trump-condemns-violence-many-sides|title=Charlottesville: Trump under fire after failing to denounce white supremacists|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170813071130/https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/aug/12/charlottesville-protest-trump-condemns-violence-many-sides|archive-date=2017-08-13|url-status=live|newspaper=]|date=2017-08-12}}</ref> He added that it had been "going on for a long time in our country. Not Donald Trump, not Barack Obama. A long, long time" and that "a swift restoration of law and order" was now vital.<ref name="JacobsMurray" /> | |||
A statement attributed to an unnamed White House spokesperson was released the next day, asserting that "The President said very strongly in his statement yesterday that he condemns all forms of violence, bigotry, and hatred. Of course that includes white supremacists, KKK, Neo-Nazi and all extremist groups. He called for national unity and bringing all Americans together."<ref>{{cite news|title=White House defends Trump's response to deadly violence in Charlottesville as criticism intensifies|url=https://www.latimes.com/politics/la-na-pol-trump-criticism-charlottesville-20170813-story.html|last=King|first=Laura|work=]|date=2017-08-13|access-date=2021-10-27|archive-date=November 4, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211104213130/https://www.latimes.com/politics/la-na-pol-trump-criticism-charlottesville-20170813-story.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=The alt-right have widened the rift between Trump and the Republican establishment|url=https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/the-alt-right-have-widened-the-rift-between-trump-and-the-republican-establishment|first=Jacob|last=Heilbrunn|work=]|date=2017-08-13|access-date=2017-08-23|archive-date=November 4, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211104224340/https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/the-alt-right-have-widened-the-rift-between-trump-and-the-republican-establishment|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="bowing">{{cite news|first=Jonathan|last=Lemire|url=https://apnews.com/395f6966223043babc448e9eae97c6b8|title=Bowing to pressure, Trump denounces hate groups by name|work=]|date=2017-08-15|access-date=2021-10-28|archive-date=August 15, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170815182448/https://apnews.com/395f6966223043babc448e9eae97c6b8|url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
'''Reactions to first statements''' | |||
Trump's "many sides" comment was criticized as insufficient and unspecific enough to allow different interpretations.<ref name="Wagner" /><ref name="JacobsMurray" /><ref name="HouseEpstein"/><ref name="insufficient"/> '']'' wrote that Trump "was the only national political figure to spread blame for the 'hatred, bigotry and violence' that resulted in the death of one person to 'many sides'."<ref name="insufficient" /> | |||
The ] decried what it saw as Trump's ] and ], saying "White supremacy is to blame."<ref name="HouseEpstein" /> ] ] said: "The violence, chaos, and apparent loss of life in Charlottesville is not the fault of 'many sides.' It is racists and white supremacists."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.usnews.com/news/politics/articles/2017-08-12/reactions-to-trumps-statement-on-violence-in-virginia|title=Reactions to Trump's Statement on Violence in Virginia|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170813050607/https://www.usnews.com/news/politics/articles/2017-08-12/reactions-to-trumps-statement-on-violence-in-virginia|archive-date=2017-08-13|agency=Associated Press|work=usnews.com|date=2017-08-12|url-status=live}}</ref> Leaders of four ] called on Trump to fire Bannon as well as ] ] because of Miller's alleged white nationalist ties.<ref>{{cite news|first=Mallory|last=Shelbourne|url=https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/346583-trump-asked-to-fire-3-wh-staffers/|title=Trump asked to fire 3 WH staffers|work=]|date=2017-08-15|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170815162209/http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/346583-trump-asked-to-fire-3-wh-staffers|archive-date=2017-08-15}}</ref> | |||
Democratic members of Congress, including Senator ] and House Representatives ] and ], as well as some Republican members, criticized Trump's failure to name white nationalists.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Helsel|first1=Phil|last2=Brockington|first2=Ariana|last3=Sotomayor|first3=Marianna|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/white-house/trump-politicians-condemn-white-nationalist-rally-charlottesville-virginia-n792096|title=Trump Takes Heat for Blaming Charlottesville Violence on 'Many Sides'|work=]|date=2017-08-12|access-date=2021-10-31|archive-date=October 31, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211031142443/https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/white-house/trump-politicians-condemn-white-nationalist-rally-charlottesville-virginia-n792096|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=McDonald|first=Terrence T.|work=]|date=2017-08-14|url=https://www.nj.com/hudson/2017/08/pascrell_rebukes_trump_as_giving_voice_to_violent.html|title=Pascrell: Trump 'gave voice' to violent extremists in Charlottesville|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170815071553/http://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/2017/08/pascrell_rebukes_trump_as_giving_voice_to_violent.html|archive-date=2017-08-15}}</ref> Senator ] (R-UT), whose brother was ] in Europe during ], tweeted: "We should call evil by its name. My brother didn't give his life fighting ] for ] ideas to go unchallenged here at home."<ref>{{cite news|first=Kristine|last=Phillips|date=2017-08-13|title=Trump Didn't Call Out White Supremacists. He Was Rebuked by Members of His Own Party|newspaper=The Washington Post|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2017/08/13/trump-didnt-call-out-white-supremacists-he-was-rebuked-by-members-of-his-own-party/?tid=a_inl|access-date=2017-08-13|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170814023516/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2017/08/13/trump-didnt-call-out-white-supremacists-he-was-rebuked-by-members-of-his-own-party/?tid=a_inl&utm_term=.668fa4520fe0|archive-date=2017-08-14}}</ref> Republican representative ] and senators ], ], ], and ] called upon Trump to specifically condemn white supremacists and neo-Nazis.<ref name="HouseEpstein" /><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-condemns-all-that-hate-stands-for-after-white-nationalist-rally-in-charlotte/|date=2017-08-14|first=Kathryn|last=Watson|title=Trump condemns 'all that hate stands for' after white nationalist rally in Charlotte|work=]|access-date=2017-08-14|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170814054713/http://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-condemns-all-that-hate-stands-for-after-white-nationalist-rally-in-charlotte/|archive-date=2017-08-14}}</ref><ref name="Top GOP Senators Critique Trump">{{cite web|url=https://www.vox.com/2017/8/12/16139144/gop-senators-react-trump-charlottesville|title=GOP senators react to Trump's Charlottesville comments: 'Mr. President – we must call evil by its name.'|last=Golshan|first=Tara|date=2017-08-12|website=Vox|access-date=2017-08-12|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170813050602/https://www.vox.com/2017/8/12/16139144/gop-senators-react-trump-charlottesville|archive-date=2017-08-13}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Nix|first=Mede|date=2017-08-12|url=https://www.dallasnews.com/news/crime/2017/08/12/cruz-calls-justice-department-investigation-charlottesville-violence|title=Ted Cruz calls for Justice Department investigation into Charlottesville violence|newspaper=Dallas News|access-date=2017-08-13|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170813062614/https://www.dallasnews.com/news/crime/2017/08/12/cruz-calls-justice-department-investigation-charlottesville-violence|archive-date=2017-08-13}}</ref> | |||
The ] released a statement saying that blatant racism and race-based hatred were on display at the rally and, while they acknowledged and appreciated Trump's "disavowment of the hatred which has resulted in a loss of life today", they called on him to remove Bannon, "a well-known white supremacist leader" and "symbol of white nationalism", as an adviser.<ref>{{cite web|publisher=]|url=http://www.naacp.org/latest/naacp-condemns-unite-the-right-hate-rally-in-charlottesville-virginia/|title=NAACP Condemns 'Unite The Right' Hate Rally in Charlottesville, Virginia|date=2017-08-12|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170814025101/http://www.naacp.org/latest/naacp-condemns-unite-the-right-hate-rally-in-charlottesville-virginia/|archive-date=2017-08-14}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://amsterdamnews.com/news/2017/aug/13/black-leaders-speak-charlottesville-violence/|title=Black leaders speak on Charlottesville violence|work=]|date=2017-08-13|access-date=2021-11-02|url-status=live|archive-date=2017-08-14|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170814022230/http://amsterdamnews.com/news/2017/aug/13/black-leaders-speak-charlottesville-violence}}</ref> ] ],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/pelosi-calls-trump-fire-steve-bannon-charlottesville-violence/story?id=49213179|first=Adam|last=Kelsey|title=Nancy Pelosi calls on Trump to fire Steve Bannon after Charlottesville violence|date=2017-08-14|work=ABC News|access-date=2017-08-15|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170815013027/http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/pelosi-calls-trump-fire-steve-bannon-charlottesville-violence/story?id=49213179|archive-date=2017-08-15}}</ref> Democratic U.S. Representative ],<ref name="firebannon">{{cite web|date=2017-08-14|url=https://www.bustle.com/p/fire-bannon-tweets-demand-trump-drops-the-supposed-architect-of-the-alt-right-76347|title="Fire Bannon" Tweets Demand Trump Drops the Supposed Architect of the Alt-Right|website=Bustle|first=Sarah|last=Friedmann|url-status=live|archive-date=2017-08-14|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170814141102/https://www.bustle.com/p/fire-bannon-tweets-demand-trump-drops-the-supposed-architect-of-the-alt-right-76347}}</ref> former federal government lawyers ] and ],<ref name="painter">{{cite web|url=https://www.mediaite.com/tv/richard-painter-demands-trump-fire-seb-gorka-and-steve-bannon-over-charlottesville-violence/|first=Justin|last=Baragona|title=Richard Painter Demands Trump Fire Seb Gorka and Steve Bannon Over Charlottesville Violence|date=2017-08-12|publisher=mediaite.com|access-date=2017-08-14|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170814060322/https://www.mediaite.com/tv/richard-painter-demands-trump-fire-seb-gorka-and-steve-bannon-over-charlottesville-violence|archive-date=2017-08-14}}</ref> and others also called for Bannon's firing. | |||
Former Ku Klux Klan leader ] said that Trump should "take a good look in the mirror & remember it was White Americans who put you in the presidency, not radical leftists."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.cnn.com/2017/08/12/politics/trump-statement-alt-right-protests/index.html|title=Trump condemns 'hatred, bigotry and violence on many sides' in Charlottesville|publisher=CNN|last1=Merica|first1=Dan|date=2017-08-12|url-status=live|archive-date=2017-08-13|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170813013628/http://www.cnn.com/2017/08/12/politics/trump-statement-alt-right-protests/index.html}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Ex-KKK Leader David Duke Says White Supremacists Will 'Fulfill' Trump's Promises|first=Hilary|last=Hanson|url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/david-duke-charlottesville-rally-trump_n_598f3ca8e4b0909642974a10|work=The Huffington Post|date=2017-08-12|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170813053245/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/david-duke-charlottesville-rally-trump_us_598f3ca8e4b0909642974a10|archive-date=2017-08-13|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.businessinsider.com/david-duke-strikes-out-at-trump-for-condemning-charlottesville-rally-2017-8|title=Former KKK leader David Duke strikes out at Trump for condemning a white nationalist rally: 'It was White Americans who put you in the presidency'|first=Abby|last=Jackson|website=Business Insider|date=2017-08-12|access-date=2017-08-12|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170813104843/http://www.businessinsider.com/david-duke-strikes-out-at-trump-for-condemning-charlottesville-rally-2017-8|archive-date=2017-08-13}}</ref> Other white supremacists and neo-Nazis did not object to Trump's remarks. ''Daily Stormer'' editor ] said "Trump did the opposite of ]. He refused to even mention anything to do with us. When reporters were screaming at him about White Nationalism he just walked out of the room."<ref>{{cite news|work=]|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/neonazis-white-supremacists-celebrate-trump-response-virginia-charlottesville-a7890786.html|first=Maya|last=Oppenheim|title=Neo-Nazis and White Supremacists applaud Donald Trump's response to deadly violence in Virginia|date=2017-08-13|url-status=live|archive-date=2017-08-13|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170813224504/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/neo-nazis-white-supremacists-celebrate-trump-response-virginia-charlottesville-a7890786.html}}</ref> | |||
====Second statement==== | |||
])]] | |||
After the backlash for his remarks, Trump read a statement from a teleprompter two days later at the White House.<ref name="no_change">{{cite news|last=Rascoe|first=Ayesha|url=https://www.npr.org/2018/08/11/637665414/a-year-after-charlottesville-not-much-has-changed-for-trump|title=A Year After Charlottesville, Not Much Has Changed For Trump|work=]|date=2018-08-11|access-date=2021-10-27}}</ref><ref name="bowing"/> He said that "anyone who acted criminally in this weekend's racist violence, you will be held fully accountable."<ref name="thrush"/> and that "acism is evil. And those who cause violence in its name are criminals and thugs, including the K.K.K., neo-Nazis, white supremacists and other hate groups that are repugnant to everything we hold dear as Americans."<ref name="cnntrumpcallskkneonazis">{{cite news|last=Merica|first=Dan|title=Trump calls KKK, neo-Nazis, white supremacists 'repugnant'|url=http://edition.cnn.com/2017/08/14/politics/trump-condemns-charlottesville-attackers/index.html|work=]|date=2017-08-14|access-date=2021-10-27}}</ref> | |||
Trump had traveled to Washington for matters involving trade with China. He reportedly was reluctant to issue this statement, believing his initial statement to be adequate, but ] ] persuaded him.<ref name="bowing"/> | |||
'''Reactions to second statement''' | |||
The '']''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s editorial board wrote that "Trump's first response to Charlottesville was tepid and mealy mouthed. His second was too late."<ref>{{cite web|title=Trump's first response to Charlottesville was tepid and mealy mouthed. His second was too late|url=https://www.latimes.com/opinion/editorials/la-ed-trump-statement-charlottesville-racism-20170814-story.html|website=Los Angeles Times|access-date=2017-08-14|date=2017-08-14|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170815073049/http://www.latimes.com/opinion/editorials/la-ed-trump-statement-charlottesville-racism-20170814-story.html|archive-date=2017-08-15}}</ref> ] Senator ] (one of ], and the only Republican among the three), also said the second statement came too late.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Cillizza|first1=Chris|title=3 big mistakes Donald Trump made in his 2nd speech on Charlottesville|url=http://www.cnn.com/2017/08/14/politics/trump-speech-monday-charlottesville/index.html|publisher=CNN|access-date=2017-08-14|date=2017-08-14|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170814233014/http://www.cnn.com/2017/08/14/politics/trump-speech-monday-charlottesville/index.html|archive-date=2017-08-14}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Taylor|first=Jessica|title=Trump Calls Out KKK, White Supremacists After Charlottesville: 'Racism Is Evil'|url=https://www.npr.org/2017/08/14/543418468/trump-calls-out-kkk-white-supremacists-after-charlottesville-racism-is-evil|newspaper=NPR|access-date=2017-08-14|date=2017-08-14|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170815063202/http://www.npr.org/2017/08/14/543418468/trump-calls-out-kkk-white-supremacists-after-charlottesville-racism-is-evil|archive-date=2017-08-15}}</ref> NAACP president ] said Trump's second statement stuck to a "rhetorical minimum" of a condemnation and "gave the impression that the President was trying to have his hate cake and eat it too".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://grabien.com/story.php?id=122455|title=Cornell Brooks: Trump Was Trying to 'Have His Hate Cake and Eat It Too'|publisher=grabien.com|access-date=2017-08-19|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170815101419/https://grabien.com/story.php?id=122455|archive-date=2017-08-15}}</ref> | |||
], neo-Nazi activist dismissed Trump's second statement as "hollow", and he also said that he believed that Trump had not denounced either the alt-right movement or white nationalism.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.businessinsider.com/richard-spencer-says-trump-didnt-condemn-the-alt-right-2017-8|date=2017-08-14|first=Natasha|last=Bertrand|title=White nationalist Richard Spencer: Trump 'didn't condemn us,' and 'only a dumb person' would take his statement seriously|website=Business Insider|access-date=2017-08-19|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170814232533/https://amp.businessinsider.com/richard-spencer-says-trump-didnt-condemn-the-alt-right-2017-8|archive-date=2017-08-14}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/alt-right-leader-richard-spencer-trumps-statement-on-rally-not-sincere|title=Alt-Right Leader Richard Spencer: Trump's Statement on Rally Was 'Hollow,' 'Nonsense'|last=Resnick|first=Gideon|date=2017-08-14|website=The Daily Beast|access-date=2017-08-14|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210303184820/https://www.thedailybeast.com/alt-right-leader-richard-spencer-trumps-statement-on-rally-not-sincere|archive-date=2021-03-03}}</ref> | |||
====Third statement==== | |||
] | |||
On August 15, Trump appeared before news media at ], New York City, to read prepared remarks on the U.S. infrastructure discussion and other economic issues. After reading the statement, Trump took questions from reporters who asked mostly about the Charlottesville events.<ref>{{cite web|date=2017-08-15|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=alc_x49hLuw|title=President Donald Trump Full EXPLOSIVE Press Conference|publisher=YouTube.com|access-date=2017-08-16|archive-date=2017-08-15|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170815212457/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=alc_x49hLuw&gl=US&hl=en|url-status=live}}</ref> Trump defended his August 12 statement and repeated his claim that there was "blame on both sides".<ref name="kiely"/> He also defended White House advisor ], and accused the media of unfair treatment of the rally's participants. Trump said: "Not all of those people were neo-Nazis, believe me. Not all of those people were white supremacists by any stretch",<ref name="NYT20170815">{{cite news|first1=Michael D.|last1=Shear|first2=Maggie|last2=Haberman|author-link2=Maggie Haberman|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/15/us/politics/trump-press-conference-charlottesville.html|title=Trump Defends Initial Remarks on Charlottesville; Again Blames 'Both Sides'|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170816005707/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/15/us/politics/trump-press-conference-charlottesville.html|archive-date=2017-08-16|work=]|url-status=live|date=2017-08-15|access-date=2021-11-10}}</ref> adding in a later response that he believed there were "very fine people on both sides"<ref name="MeghanKeneally">{{cite news|first=Meghan|last=Keneally|url=https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/trump-lashes-alt-left-charlottesville-fine-people-sides/story?id=49235032|title=Trump lashes out at 'alt-left' in Charlottesville, says 'fine people on both sides'|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170815225030/http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/trump-lashes-alt-left-charlottesville-fine-people-sides/story?id=49235032|archive-date=2017-08-15|url-status=live|work=ABC News|date=2017-08-15}}</ref><ref name="LAT170815">{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/politics/la-na-pol-trump-charlottesville-transcript-20170815-story.html|access-date=2021-12-28|newspaper=]|title=Read the complete transcript of President Trump's remarks at Trump Tower on Charlottesville|date=2017-08-15}}</ref> and "I'm not talking about the neo-Nazis and the white nationalists, because they should be condemned totally".<ref name="LAT170815" /> Trump also said that the ] was "changing history" and "changing culture".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://edition.cnn.com/2017/08/15/politics/donald-trump-robert-e-lee/index.html|access-date=2021-12-28|first=Eli|last=Watkins|url-status=live|title=Trump: Taking down Confederate memorials is 'changing history'|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170816025224/http://edition.cnn.com/2017/08/15/politics/donald-trump-robert-e-lee/index.html|archive-date=2017-08-16|work=]|date=2017-08-16}}</ref> | |||
An extended extract of Trump's remarks, with context, is given below:<ref name="LAT170815" /><ref name=":9">{{cite news|authorlink=Angie Drobnic Holan|first=Angie Drobnic|last=Holan|url=https://www.politifact.com/article/2019/apr/26/context-trumps-very-fine-people-both-sides-remarks/|access-date=2021-12-28|title=In Context: Donald Trump's 'very fine people on both sides' remarks (transcript)|work=]|date=2019-04-26}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Jacobs|first1=Curtis S.|last2=Zhang|first2=Xiaoqi|last3=Jackson|first3=Sally A.|date=2019-09-27|title=Transcript of journalists questioning of President Donald Trump about his response to white supremacist protest in Charlottesville|url=https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/handle/2142/105451|access-date=2021-12-28|journal=Illinois Digital Environment for Access to Learning and Scholarship (IDEALS), University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign}}</ref> | |||
<blockquote><p>TRUMP: ... you had some very bad people in that group, but you also had people that were very fine people, on both sides. You had people in that group ... that were there to protest the taking down of, to them, a very, very important statue and the renaming of a park from Robert E. Lee to another name.</p> | |||
<p>REPORTER: George Washington and Robert E. Lee are not the same.</p> | |||
<p>TRUMP: George Washington was a slave owner. So will George Washington now lose his status? Are we going to take down statues to George Washington? How about Thomas Jefferson? What do you think of Thomas Jefferson? You like him?</p> | |||
<p>REPORTER: I do love Thomas Jefferson.</p> | |||
<p>TRUMP: Okay, good. Are we going to take down the statue? Because he was a major slave owner. Now, are we going to take down his statue? So you know what, it's fine. You're changing history. You're changing culture. And you had people—and I'm not talking about the neo-Nazis and the white nationalists, because they should be condemned totally—but you had many people in that group other than neo-Nazis and white nationalists.</p></blockquote> | |||
Trump criticized what he called the "very, very violent alt-left",<ref name="NYT20170815"/><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/08/15/alt-left-donald-trump-said-violent-charlottesville/|access-date=2021-12-28|title=What is the 'alt Left' that Donald Trump said was 'very violent' in Charlottesville?|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170817112038/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/08/15/alt-left-donald-trump-said-violent-charlottesville/|archive-date=2017-08-17|url-status=live|first=Harriet|last=Alexander|work=The Telegraph|date=2017-08-16}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|first=Andrew|last=Rafferty|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/trump-defends-all-sides-comment-n793001|access-date=2021-12-28|title=Trump Says 'Alt-Left' Shares Blame for Charlottesville Rally Violence|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170815220955/https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/trump-defends-all-sides-comment-n793001|archive-date=2017-08-15|work=NBC News|date=2017-08-15}}</ref> and falsely stated that counter-demonstrators lacked a permit.<ref name="WP20170816FC"/><ref name="trump wrong">{{cite news|first=Louis|last=Jacobson|url=https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2017/aug/17/donald-trump/donald-trump-wrong-charlottesville-counter-protest/|access-date=2021-12-28|title=Donald Trump wrong that Charlottesville counter-protesters didn't have a permit|work=PolitiFact|date=2017-08-17}}</ref> A municipal spokeswoman said that the counter-protesters did have a permit for two other nearby parks and "counterprotesters did not need permits to protest that rally" in Lee Park.<ref name="WP20170816FC"/> | |||
Trump's remarks also indicated that he had watched the "tiki torch march" that moved through the University of Virginia to Robert E. Lee's statue on August 11, the night before the rally.<ref name="NYT20170815"/> He stated that there "were people protesting very quietly the taking down of the statue of Robert E. Lee. ... You had a lot of people in that group that were there to innocently protest, and very legally protest{{snd}}because I don't know if you know, they had a permit", falsely claiming that "he other group didn't have a permit."<ref name="trump wrong"/> | |||
'''Reactions to third statement''' | |||
In an interview published the next day, Bannon said the press conference was a "defining moment" and that Trump chose to jettison the "globalists" and align himself with "his people". He said he was "proud of how stood up to the braying mob of reporters".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.axios.com/what-steve-bannon-thinks-about-charlottesville-2473751951.html|work=]|title=What Steve Bannon thinks about Charlottesville|date=2017-08-16|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170816234931/https://www.axios.com/what-steve-bannon-thinks-about-charlottesville-2473751951.html|first=Jonathan|last=Swan|authorlink=Jonathan Swan|archive-date=2017-08-16}}</ref> | |||
More than 60 Democratic and Republican members of the U.S. House of Representatives and the United States Senate condemned Trump's remarks. Among those were Senators ], ], ], ], ], ], ], Jeff Flake, Orrin Hatch, ], ], ], ] and ], and House members ], ], ], ], ] and ], as well as ] ] and former ] ]. ] ] said, "The president's continued talk of blame 'on many sides' ignores the abhorrent evil of white supremacism ..." ] ] stated, "We must be clear. White supremacy is repulsive. This bigotry is counter to all this country stands for. There can be no moral ambiguity."<ref>{{cite news|title=Trump again blamed 'both sides' in Charlottesville. Here's how politicians are reacting.|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2017/national/charlottesville-protest-reactions/|access-date=2021-12-28|first1=Kevin|last1=Uhrmacher|first2=Denise|last2=Lu|first3=Kevin|last3=Schaul|first4=Aaron|last4=Steckelberg|newspaper=The Washington Post|publisher=Nash Holdings LLC|date=2017-08-16|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170816195024/https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2017/national/charlottesville-protest-reactions/|archive-date=2017-08-16}}</ref> | |||
Former presidents ] and ] stated that, "America must always reject racial bigotry, anti-Semitism, and hatred in all forms. As we pray for Charlottesville, we are reminded of the fundamental truths recorded by that city's most prominent citizen in the Declaration of Independence: we are all created equal and endowed by our Creator with unalienable rights. We know these truths to be everlasting because we have seen the decency and greatness of our country."<ref name=Rhodan /><ref>{{cite news|title=Former Presidents H.W. and W. Bush denounce racism in wake of Charlottesville|url=http://edition.cnn.com/2017/08/16/politics/george-h-w-bush-george-w-bush-charlottesville-statement/index.html|first=Zachary|last=Cohen|publisher=CNN|date=2017-08-16|access-date=2017-08-17}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Bush presidents wade into Trump furore over Charlottesville|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-40946386|work=BBC News|date=2017-08-16|access-date=2017-08-17}}</ref> | |||
On August 16, Representatives ] of New York, ] of ] and ] of ] unveiled a resolution that the three House Democrats co-authored, which would ] Trump for his "inadequate response to the violence", his "failure to immediately and specifically name and condemn the white supremacist groups responsible for actions of domestic terrorism", and for employing chief strategist Steve Bannon and national security aide ] despite their "ties to white supremacist movements".<ref>{{cite news|title=House Dems push to censure Trump over Charlottesville response|url=https://thehill.com/blogs/floor-action/house/346814-house-dems-call-for-censuring-trump-over-charlottesville-response/|access-date=2021-12-28|first=Cristina|last=Marcos|newspaper=]|publisher=Capitol Hill Media Group|date=2017-08-16|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170817012015/http://thehill.com/blogs/floor-action/house/346814-house-dems-call-for-censuring-trump-over-charlottesville-response|archive-date=2017-08-17}}</ref> | |||
Criticism of the comments also extended to the corporate world; among others, ] CEO ] said in an email to friends that was obtained by '']'', "hat we watched this last week in Charlottesville and the reaction to it by the president of the United States concern all of us as Americans and free people. These events remind us all why vigilance against hate and bigotry is an eternal obligation{{snd}}a necessary discipline for the preservation of our way of life and our ideals." Murdoch also pledged a $1 million donation to the Anti-Defamation League, urging his friends to also make contributions. (Murdoch's statement drew some criticism from media columnists, including ''The Washington Post''{{'}}s ] and ], who have accused ] Channel for helping bring Trump to the political mainstream and its repeated defense of his administration as well as perpetuating a culture of exploiting female employees and using dog-whistle commentary on its opinion programs.)<ref>{{cite news|title=Fox CEO James Murdoch criticizes Trump over response to Charlottesville|url=https://www.latimes.com/business/hollywood/la-fi-ct-james-murdoch-trump-20170817-story.html|first=Meg|last=James|newspaper=]|date=2017-08-17|access-date=2017-08-18}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Fox CEO rips Trump, donates $1M to Anti-Defamation League|url=https://thehill.com/media/347052-fox-ceo-rips-trump-donates-1m-to-anti-defamation-league/|first=Brooke|last=Seipels|newspaper=]|publisher=Capitol Hill Media Group|date=2017-08-17|access-date=2017-08-18}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Hey, James Murdoch: You have no standing to denounce Trump's Charlottesville reaction|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/erik-wemple/wp/2017/08/18/hey-james-murdoch-you-have-no-standing-to-denounce-trumps-charlottesville-reaction/|first=Erik|last=Wemple|newspaper=The Washington Post|publisher=Nash Holdings LLC|date=2017-08-18|access-date=2017-08-23}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=To curtail hate, James Murdoch must clean house at Fox News|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/right-turn/wp/2017/08/18/to-curtail-hate-james-murdoch-must-clean-house-at-fox-news/?tid=a_inl|first=Jennifer|last=Rubin|newspaper=The Washington Post|publisher=Nash Holdings LLC|date=2017-08-18|access-date=2017-08-23}}</ref> | |||
The fallout from the third statement led to renewed calls for Trump to resign or be removed from office through either ] or through invocation of Section 4 of the ]. In an August 15 Twitter post, Democratic House Representative ] of California suggested that the never-before-used section of the 25th Amendment (which allows the vice president and either a majority of the cabinet or another body such as Congress to declare that a president is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office) be invoked to remove Trump.<ref>{{cite news|title=Jackie Speier calls for Trump's removal from office under 25th Amendment|url=http://www.mercurynews.com/2017/08/16/jackie-speier-calls-for-trumps-removal-from-office-under-25th-amendment/|first=Casey|last=Tolan|newspaper=]|publisher=Bay Area News Group|date=2017-08-16|access-date=2017-08-17}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Rep. Jackie Speier calls for Trump's removal under 25th Amendment|url=https://www.foxla.com/news/rep-jackie-speier-calls-for-trumps-removal-under-25th-amendment|access-date=2021-12-28|website=]|publisher=]|date=2017-08-17}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Rep. Speier wants to use the 25th Amendment to remove Trump. Here's what that means|url=https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/25th-Amendment-Jackie-Speier-remove-Trump-twitter-11860208.php|access-date=2021-12-28|first=Amy|last=Graff|newspaper=]|publisher=]|date=2017-08-17}}</ref> On August 22, in an interview with ] on the '']'', ] ] passionately endorsed Trump, saying in part:<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/pence-defends-trump-over-charlottesville-comments-i-know-his-heart/article/2632202|newspaper=]|title=Pence defends Trump over Charlottesville comments: 'I know his heart'|date=2017-08-22|url-status=dead|archive-date=2018-08-25|first=Melissa|last=Quinn|access-date=2021-10-08|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180825073852/https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/pence-defends-trump-over-charlottesville-comments-i-know-his-heart/article/2632202}}</ref> | |||
{{blockquote|I know this president. I know his heart ... I heard it. I heard him on the day that the Charlottesville tragedy happened when he denounced hate and violence in all of its forms from wherever it comes. I heard him on that Monday, and I heard him as well on Tuesday like millions of Americans did where he condemned the hate and the bigotry that was evidenced there. He condemned the violence that was there and we'll continue to do that. We understand that criticism comes with this job, and this president has the kind of broad shoulders to be able to take it.}} | |||
Democratic Rep. ] of Tennessee announced on August 17, that he would introduce articles of impeachment against Trump for his remarks in the press conference, stating that Trump had "failed the presidential test of moral leadership".<ref>{{cite news|title=Dem to introduce impeachment articles over Charlottesville|url=https://thehill.com/homenews/house/346939-dem-to-introduce-impeachment-articles-over-charlottesville/|access-date=2021-12-28|first=Mike|last=Lillis|newspaper=]|date=2017-08-17}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Congressman Moves To Impeach Donald Trump, Says No Such Thing As 'Good Nazis'|url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/steve-cohen-impeach-trump_n_5995a204e4b06ef724d6de57|access-date=2021-12-28|first=Hayley|last=Miller|website=The Huffington Post|publisher=Oath Inc.|date=2017-08-17}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Rep. Steve Cohen calls for Trump's impeachment|url=http://wreg.com/2017/08/17/tennessee-congressman-calls-for-impeachment-of-president-trump/|first=Eryn|last=Taylor|work=]|date=2017-08-17|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170818005240/http://wreg.com/2017/08/17/tennessee-congressman-calls-for-impeachment-of-president-trump/|url-status=live|archive-date=2017-08-18|access-date=2021-12-28}}</ref> ] made an online video criticizing Trump's statement and presented a speech condemning the racists and stating Trump should've said something like that.{{cn|date=March 2024}} | |||
In an August 18 interview with ]'s '']'', Heather Heyer's mother, Susan Bro, stated that she has not "and now ... will not" meet with Trump after hearing about his statement. Bro said, "I'm not talking to the president now. I'm sorry, after what he said about my child. It's not that I saw somebody else's tweets about him. I saw an actual clip of him at a press conference equating the protesters, like Ms. Heyer, with the KKK and the white supremacists."<ref>{{cite web|title=Mother of Charlottesville victim: 'I will not' speak to Trump|url=https://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/347061-mother-of-woman-killed-in-charlottesville-i-will-not-talk-to-trump/|access-date=2021-12-28|first=Julia|last=Manchester|newspaper=The Hill|publisher=Capitol Hill Media Group|date=2017-08-18}}</ref> | |||
The fallout from this statement also led to renewed calls for Trump to be stripped of honors he won before his presidency. Before the '']'' event that weekend, protesters outside the ] called for Trump's removal from the ].<ref>{{cite web|last1=Colon|first1=David|title=WWE Fans Protesting Outside Barclays Demanding Company Superkick Trump Out Of Hall Of Fame|url=https://gothamist.com/arts-entertainment/wwe-fans-protesting-outside-barclays-demanding-company-superkick-trump-out-of-hall-of-fame|website=Gothamist|date=2017-08-18|access-date=2017-08-20|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170818221922/http://gothamist.com/2017/08/18/trump_superkick_party.php|archive-date=2017-08-18}}</ref> Additionally, a petition to revoke Trump of an honorary law degree from ] by a recent graduate went viral following his comments, gaining more than 25,000 signatures. Trump was previously stripped of an honorary degree from ]'s ] in 2015. If he loses his degree from Lehigh, Trump will only have three honorary degrees remaining; two from ] and one from ].<ref>{{cite web|last1=Gabbatt|first1=Adam|title=Trump could lose honorary law degree after Charlottesville remarks|url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/aug/18/donald-trump-honorary-degrees-lehigh-university|website=The Guardian|date=2017-08-18|access-date=2017-08-20}}</ref> A number of alumni of Liberty University announced their intentions to return their diplomas to the university in response to university president ]'s continued support of Trump.<ref>{{cite news|last1=McCannon|first1=Sarah|title=Some Liberty University Grads Are Returning Their Diplomas To Protest Trump|url=https://www.npr.org/2017/08/20/544776964/some-liberty-university-grads-are-returning-their-diplomas-to-protest-trump|access-date=2017-08-21|publisher=NPR|date=2017-08-20|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170820235048/http://www.npr.org/2017/08/20/544776964/some-liberty-university-grads-are-returning-their-diplomas-to-protest-trump|archive-date=2017-08-20}}</ref> | |||
In the days following Trump's August 15 statement, the magazines '']'', '']'', and '']'' ran cover art depicting Trump wearing or interacting with a KKK hood.<ref name="sfgate-17aug2017">{{cite news|last1=Flood|first1=Brian|title='Most Trusted News Source in America' Depicts Trump With KKK Hood as Megaphone|url=http://www.sfgate.com/entertainment/the-wrap/article/Most-Trusted-News-Source-in-America-Depicts-11859304.php|access-date=2017-08-17|newspaper=]|date=2017-08-17|archive-date=2017-08-17|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170817192925/http://www.sfgate.com/entertainment/the-wrap/article/Most-Trusted-News-Source-in-America-Depicts-11859304.php|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="cnn-17aug2017">{{cite news|last1=Wattles|first1=Jackie|title=Top magazines take on Trump and hate|url=https://money.cnn.com/2017/08/17/media/trump-time-new-yorker-economist-magazine-covers/index.html|access-date=2017-08-17|publisher=CNN|date=2017-08-17}}</ref><ref name="wapo-17aug2017">{{cite news|last1=Cavna|first1=Michael|title=Next week's striking New Yorker cover shows Trump traveling with the KKK|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/comic-riffs/wp/2017/08/17/next-weeks-striking-new-yorker-cover-shows-trump-giving-air-time-to-the-kkk/|access-date=2017-08-17|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=2017-08-17}}</ref><ref name="thehill-18aug2017">{{cite news|last=Bowden|first=John|title=German magazine cover shows Trump wearing KKK hood|url=https://thehill.com/blogs/in-the-know/347101-german-magazine-cover-shows-trump-wearing-kkk-hood/|access-date=2017-08-20|newspaper=]|date=2017-08-18}}</ref> | |||
Additional controversy resulted from a ] post by ] ] in which she commented, "I hope Trump is assassinated!" in response to the president's comments. In apologizing for the remark, Chapple-Nadal said to '']'' that she posted the comment in frustration at the "trauma and despair" of Trump's statements about the Charlottesville rally.<ref>{{cite news|title='I hope Trump is assassinated,' Missouri lawmaker writes – and quickly regrets|url=https://www.kansascity.com/news/politics-government/article167755572.html|access-date=2021-12-28|first=Jason|last=Hancock|newspaper=]|publisher=]|date=2017-08-17}}</ref> The post, which she deleted shortly after posting it but not before it was circulated online, led several state and national politicians, including U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill and House Representative ], to call for her resignation; State Rep. ] also submitted a letter to State Senate ] ] (chairman of the Missouri Rules, Joint Rules, Resolutions and Ethics Committee) requesting that a special committee consider Chappelle-Nadal's "censure or removal" from office.<ref>{{cite news|title=McCaskill, Clay and others call for Mo senator to resign after post hoping for Trump's assassination|url=https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/secret-service-investigating-mo-state-senator-over-facebook-post-hoping/article_406059d6-1aa4-52fc-89ee-2a6a69baaf2e.html|first=Kevin|last=McDermott|newspaper=]|publisher=The McClatchy Company|date=2017-08-17|access-date=2017-08-18}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title='I Hope Trump is Assassinated!': State Senator Maria Chappelle-Nadal Draws Condemnation|url=https://www.riverfronttimes.com/newsblog/2017/08/17/i-hope-trump-is-assassinated-state-senator-maria-chappelle-nadal-draws-condemnation|first=Danny|last=Wicentowski|newspaper=]|publisher=Euclid Media Group|date=2017-08-17|access-date=2017-08-18|archive-date=2017-08-18|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170818020019/https://www.riverfronttimes.com/newsblog/2017/08/17/i-hope-trump-is-assassinated-state-senator-maria-chappelle-nadal-draws-condemnation|url-status=dead}}</ref> Missouri State Sen. ] (leader of the state's Senate Democratic Caucus) announced on August 22 that Chapple-Nadal had been removed from all committee assignments, commenting that the controversy had made her a "distraction" to senators.<ref>{{cite news|title=Maria Chappelle-Nadal removed from all committee assignments|url=http://www.ksdk.com/news/politics/maria-chappelle-nadal-removed-from-all-committee-assignments/466414510|first=Alexandra|last=Martellaro|publisher=]|date=2017-08-22|access-date=2017-08-23|archive-date=2017-08-22|archive-url=https://archive.today/20170822193120/http://www.ksdk.com/news/politics/maria-chappelle-nadal-removed-from-all-committee-assignments/466414510|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=State senator removed from committee appointments|url=http://www.abc17news.com/news/state-senator-removed-from-committee-appointments/609476863|first=Katrina|last=Lindquist|publisher=]/]|date=2017-08-22|access-date=2017-08-23|archive-date=2017-08-22|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170822211449/http://www.abc17news.com/news/state-senator-removed-from-committee-appointments/609476863|url-status=dead}}</ref> | |||
====Later statements==== | |||
Trump defended his previous statements at a ], rally on August 22, 2017. He did not mention that he had said in his first statement that "many sides" were responsible for the violence at the rally and accused people of "trying to take away our culture" and "trying to take away our history" in reference to the removal of the Confederate statues.<ref>{{cite news|first=Eric|last=Bradner|url=https://www.cnn.com/2017/08/22/politics/trump-phoenix-rally/index.html|date=2017-08-22|title=Donald Trump defends Charlottesville responses, omits reference to 'many sides'|work=]|access-date=2017-08-22}}</ref> Following criticisms from former vice president ] in a video announcing that he was entering the 2020 presidential race, Trump was asked by journalists in April 2019 to clarify his remark that there were "very fine people" on both sides of the protests at the rally. He responded that he had "answered that question, and if you look at what I said, you will see that question was answered perfectly" and that he "was talking about people that went because they felt very strongly about the monument to Robert E. Lee, a great general."<ref>{{cite news|last=Galioto|first=Katie|title=Trump says he answered Charlottesville questions 'perfectly'|url=https://www.politico.com/story/2019/04/26/trump-charlottesville-comments-1290724|work=]|date=2019-04-26|access-date=2021-10-26}}</ref> | |||
====Resignations from and dissolution of presidential advisory councils==== | |||
], the CEO of ], resigned from the President's ] on August 14, in reaction to the President's response to the rally.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.cnbc.com/2017/08/14/merck-ceo-resigns-from-trumps-american-manufacturing-council.html|title=Trump attacks Merck CEO for stepping down from manufacturing council in protest|last=Whitten|first=Sarah|publisher=CNBC|date=2017-08-14|access-date=2017-08-14|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170814180105/https://www.cnbc.com/2017/08/14/merck-ceo-resigns-from-trumps-american-manufacturing-council.html|archive-date=2017-08-14}}</ref> Trump quickly responded by attacking Frazier ].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://money.cnn.com/2017/08/14/investing/merck-ceo-trump-charlottesville/index.html|title=Kenneth Frazier quits Trump manufacturing council; Trump lashes out|first=Matt|last=Egan|date=2017-08-14|website=CNNMoney|access-date=2017-08-15|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170815064806/http://money.cnn.com/2017/08/14/investing/merck-ceo-trump-charlottesville/index.html|archive-date=2017-08-15}}</ref> Frazier received widespread support from major figures in politics, media and business, and commentator ] said that "It took Trump 54 minutes to condemn ... Frazier" but "two days of issuing equivocal statements" before denouncing the neo-Nazis and white supremacists who marched in Charlottesville.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/14/us/politics/trump-charlottesville-protest.html|title=New Outcry as Trump Rebukes Charlottesville Racists 2 Days Later|first=Glenn|last=Thrush|date=2017-08-14|work=The New York Times|access-date=2017-08-15|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170814224147/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/14/us/politics/trump-charlottesville-protest.html|archive-date=2017-08-14}}</ref> ] founder and CEO ] and ] chief executive ] also resigned from the council that same day, followed by the resignations of ] president ], economist and former AFL–CIO deputy chief of staff Thea Lee, and ] president Scott Paul on August 15.<ref>{{cite news|title=Three C.E.O.s Quitting Business Panel in Rebuke to Trump|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/14/business/merck-ceo-trump-charlottesville.html|first1=David|last1=Gelles|first2=Katie|last2=Thomas|newspaper=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|date=2017-08-14|access-date=2017-08-15|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170815135042/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/14/business/merck-ceo-trump-charlottesville.html|archive-date=2017-08-15}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Fifth leader resigns from Trump's manufacturing council|url=https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/346614-fifth-leader-resigns-from-trumps-manufacturing-jobs-council/|first=Robin|last=Eberhardt|newspaper=]|date=2017-08-15|access-date=2017-08-16|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170816055050/http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/346614-fifth-leader-resigns-from-trumps-manufacturing-jobs-council|archive-date=2017-08-16}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=AFL-CIO chief leaves Trump's manufacturing council after president's latest remarks|url=https://money.cnn.com/2017/08/15/news/richard-trumka-afl-cio-trump-charlottesville/index.html|first=Julia|last=Horowitz|website=CNN Money|publisher=Time Warner|date=2017-08-15|access-date=2017-08-16|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170816021254/http://money.cnn.com/2017/08/15/news/richard-trumka-afl-cio-trump-charlottesville/index.html|archive-date=2017-08-16}}</ref> The following morning, two more CEOs{{snd}}] of ] and ] of ]{{snd}}announced that they would resign from American Manufacturing Council.<ref name="GellesThomasKelley">{{cite news|first1=David|last1=Gelles|first2=Landon Jr.|last2=Thomas|first3=Kate|last3=Kelly|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/16/business/trumps-council-ceos.html|title=Trump Dissolves Advisory Councils After C.E.O.s Move to Disband|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170816184530/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/16/business/trumps-council-ceos.html|archive-date=2017-08-16|url-status=live|newspaper=]|date=2017-08-16}}</ref> ] CEO ] also directly criticized Trump's leadership,<ref name="GellesThomasKelley" /> saying Trump "missed a critical opportunity to help bring our country together".<ref>{{cite news|first=Lauren|last=Thomas|url=https://www.cnbc.com/2017/08/15/trump-missed-critical-opportunity-to-bring-america-together-wal-mart-ceo.html|access-date=2021-12-28|title=Wal-Mart CEO says Trump missed 'critical opportunity' to bring America together|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170816221230/https://www.cnbc.com/2017/08/15/trump-missed-critical-opportunity-to-bring-america-together-wal-mart-ceo.html|archive-date=2017-08-16|work=CNBC|date=2017-08-15}}</ref> | |||
On August 16, after the members of the advisory councils moved to disband, Trump dissolved both councils.<ref name="GellesThomasKelley" /> Stanford Graduate School of Business professor Anat R. Admati said that Trump's equivocations on white nationalist groups had "put them in a very difficult position" and caused critical damage to the president's relationship with corporate leaders.<ref name="GellesThomasKelley" /> | |||
Sixteen of the 17 members of the ] resigned on August 18, in protest of Trump's response to the rally. The resigning members stated in a letter to the President, "Reproach and censure in the strongest possible terms are necessary following your support of the hate groups and terrorists who killed and injured fellow Americans in Charlottesville."<ref name="wapo-18aug2017">{{cite news|last1=O'Keefe|first1=Ed|title=Members of White House presidential arts commission resigning to protest Trump's comments|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/wp/2017/08/18/members-of-white-house-presidential-arts-commission-resign-to-protest-trumps-comments/|access-date=2017-08-18|newspaper=]|date=2017-08-18}}</ref><ref name="scribd-18aug2017">{{cite web|title=Members of the President's Commission on Arts & Humanities resignation letter to President Trump|url=https://www.scribd.com/document/356620864/Members-of-the-President-s-Commission-on-Arts-Humanities-resignation-letter-to-President-Trump|website=]|date=2017-08-18|access-date=2017-08-18}}</ref><ref name="latimes-18aug2017">{{cite news|last1=Kamal|first1=Sameea|last2=Bierman|first2=Noah|title=16 members of White House arts panel resign to protest Trump's response to Charlottesville|url=https://www.latimes.com/politics/washington/la-na-essential-washington-updates-members-of-a-white-house-panel-on-arts-1503065476-htmlstory.html|access-date=2017-08-19|newspaper=]|date=2017-08-18}}</ref> Representatives for the sole remaining member, film director ], stated that he, too, would be resigning and would add his name to the letter.<ref>{{cite news|title=Citing Trump remarks, most of president's arts council quits|url=https://wjla.com/news/entertainment/citing-trump-remarks-most-of-presidents-arts-council-quits-08-18-2017|access-date=2017-08-19|agency=Associated Press|date=2017-08-18}}</ref> The White House responded by saying a decision had previously been made not to renew the committee after it expired later in 2017.<ref name="cbs-19aug2017">{{cite news|last1=Bat|first1=John|title=Arts and Humanities Committee members resign in protest of Trump|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/arts-and-humanities-committee-members-resign-in-protest-of-trump/|access-date=2017-08-19|work=]|date=2017-08-19}}</ref> | |||
In late August, eight of the 28 members of the ] resigned, stating in a joint letter that Trump "threatened the security of the homeland". The letter cited Trump's response to the Charlottesville rally as one of the reasons for leaving.<ref name="ind-28aug2017">{{cite news|last1=Baynes|first1=Chris|title=Donald Trump's cyber-security advisers resign warning of 'insufficient attention to the growing threats'|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/donald-trump-cyber-security-advisers-resign-growing-threat-charlottesville-a7916496.html|access-date=2017-08-29|newspaper=The Independent|date=2017-08-28}}</ref><ref name="bi-28aug2017">{{cite news|last1=Sheth|first1=Sonam|title=Over a quarter of the members on Trump's cybersecurity advisory council have resigned en masse|url=http://www.businessinsider.com/members-of-trump-cybersecurity-council-resign-2017-8|access-date=2017-08-29|newspaper=Business Insider|date=2017-08-28}}</ref> | |||
====Defenses of Trump and rebuttal==== | |||
Several conservative commentators argued that Trump was being unjustly criticized by the media and left-wing political figures for him blaming both sides. Some critics argued that members of the media were excusing the violence from activists associated with antifa, a loosely affiliated group of far-left protesters.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Cammeron|first1=Brenna|title=Antifa: Left-wing militants on the rise|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-40930831|work=BBC News}}</ref> ] wrote that the presence of the alt-right did not excuse antifa from its policies that "oppose free speech, celebrate violence, despise dissent and have little use for anything else in the American political tradition".<ref>{{cite web|last1=Goldberg|first1=Jonah|title=Alt-Right's Despicability Doesn't Make 'Antifa' the Good Guys|url=https://townhall.com/columnists/jonahgoldberg/2017/08/18/altrights-despicability-doesnt-make-antifa-the-good-guys-n2370132|website=Townhall|access-date=2017-08-21|date=2017-08-18}}</ref> Journalists ]<ref>{{cite news|last1=Waldman|first1=Paul|title=Sorry conservatives. There's no equivalence between the extreme right and the extreme left.|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/wp/2017/08/16/sorry-conservatives-theres-no-equivalence-between-the-extreme-right-and-the-extreme-left/|access-date=2017-08-21|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=2017-08-16}}</ref> and ]<ref name="Beinart">{{cite news|last1=Beinart|first1=Peter|title=What Trump Gets Wrong About Antifa|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/08/what-trump-gets-wrong-about-antifa/537048/|access-date=2017-08-21|work=The Atlantic|date=2017-08-16}}</ref> criticized this argument as an ineffective tactic to defend Trump and it also stated that none of the violence from the counter-protesters justified any moral equivalency between the two sides at the rally. Beinart wrote that unlike the alt-right, antifa are not practitioners of an ] that advocates the ] of other racial and religious groups nor do they "celebrate regimes that committed ] and enforced ]", and antifa promotes ] unlike the alt-right.<ref name="Beinart" /> | |||
Ray Arsenault of the '']'' wrote that although there were some violent members among their ranks, the counter-protesters were mostly made up of "peaceful activists committed to nonviolence", including several clergymen and ] activists.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Arsenault|first1=Ray|title=Donald Trump's Dixie apocalypse|url=https://www.tampabay.com/opinion/columns/ray-arsenault-donald-trumps-dixie-apocalypse/2334366/|access-date=2017-08-22|work=Tampa Bay Times|date=2017-08-18}}</ref> Linda Qiu of '']'' mentioned that although both sides were violent that day, only one side—the alt-right—was responsible for a deadly act of domestic terrorism.<ref name=QiuTimes>{{cite news|last1=Qiu|first1=Linda|title=Trump Asks, 'What About the Alt-Left?' Here's an Answer|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/15/us/politics/trump-alt-left-fact-check.html|access-date=2017-08-22|work=The New York Times|date=2017-08-15}}</ref> Jonathan Tobin of '']'' mentioned that the explicit presence of Nazi and Ku Klux Klan imagery from the white supremacists and Fields' attack "render irrelevant" antifa presence at the rally.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Tobin|first1=Jonathan|title=Trump's Moral Equivalence Trap|url=https://jewishweek.timesofisrael.com/trumps-moral-equivalence-trap/|date=2017-08-17|website=The Times of Israel|access-date=2018-01-06}}</ref> Beinart and Qiu also both wrote that ] was far more common than left-wing terrorism.<ref name="Beinart"/><ref name=QiuTimes/> | |||
====Public opinion on Trump's response==== | |||
Public opinion polls showed that reactions to Trump's response were overwhelmingly negative, receiving near universal disapproval from Democrats and only modest support from Republicans. A ''Washington Post''/ABC News national poll of American adults taken in the aftermath of the rally showed that 56% disapproved of Trump's response to the violence in Charlottesville, while only 28% approved. The same survey showed that 83% of Americans said that holding neo-Nazi or white supremacist views is unacceptable, while 9% said holding such views was acceptable.<ref>{{cite news|first1=Scott|last1=Clement|first2=David|last2=Nakamura|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/poll-shows-strong-disapproval-of-how-trump-responded-to-charlottesville-violence/2017/08/21/4e5c585c-868b-11e7-a94f-3139abce39f5_story.html|access-date=2021-12-28|title=Poll shows clear disapproval of how Trump responded to Charlottesville violence|newspaper=]|date=2017-08-21}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|first=Gary|last=Langer|url=https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/28-approve-trumps-response-charlottesville-poll/story?id=49334079|title=Only 28% approve of Trump's response to Charlottesville (POLL)|work=ABC News|date=2017-08-21}}</ref> | |||
A ] of American adults showed that 52% believed that Trump's response to the violence in Charlottesville was "not strong enough". The same poll showed that 4% of Americans said they agreed with the beliefs of white nationalists, with 73% saying they disagreed, 7% having no opinion, and 15% unsure. The poll also showed that 67% believed that the fatal crash should be "investigated as an act of domestic terrorism", while 21% said it should not, and 12% were unsure.<ref>{{cite news|first=Domenico|last=Montanaro|url=https://www.npr.org/2017/08/16/543957964/poll-majority-believe-trump-s-response-to-charlottesville-hasn-t-been-strong-eno|title=Poll: Majority Believes Trump's Response To Charlottesville Hasn't Been Strong Enough|work=]|date=2017-08-16}}</ref> | |||
A ] poll of American adults indicated that 55% of respondents disapproved of Trump's response, while 33% approved. A roughly similar split indicated that respondents found Trump's description of events to be inaccurate.<ref>{{cite news|last1=De Pinto|first1=Jennifer|last2=Backus|first2=Fred|last3=Khanna|first3=Khabir|last4=Salvanto|first4=Anthony|title=Partisan divide over Trump's response to Charlottesville: CBS News poll|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/americans-divided-over-trumps-response-to-charlottesville-cbs-news-poll/|access-date=2017-08-22|work=CBS News|date=2017-08-17}}</ref> | |||
An '']''/] poll of Americans showed that 42% of respondents disapproved of Trump's handling of "the situation in Charlottesville", while 27% approved and 31% had no opinion. When asked "which group ... is more likely to use violence"; 32% of respondents said white nationalists, 10% said anti-racism protesters, and 45% said "both equally likely", while 14% were unsure; Democrats were more likely to attribute violence to white nationalists, while Republicans were most likely to blame both sides equally.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Frankovic|first1=Kathy|title=Trump's domestic crisis: Charlottesville and white nationalists|url=https://today.yougov.com/news/2017/08/16/trumps-domestic-crisis-charlottesville-and-white-n/|access-date=2017-08-22|publisher=YouGov|date=2017-08-16}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://d25d2506sfb94s.cloudfront.net/cumulus_uploads/document/vrsr5darjd/econToplines.pdf|title=The Economist/YouGov Poll toplines (conducted August 13–15, 2017)|work=YouGov|date=2017-08-15}}</ref> | |||
A ] poll showed that 50% of New York residents gave Trump an "F" for his response to the violence.<ref>{{cite web|title=Trump Ratings Are Lowest They've Been in His Presidency|url=https://scri.siena.edu/2017/09/06/trump-ratings-are-lowest-theyve-been-in-his-presidency/|publisher=]|date=2017-09-06|author=Siena College Research Institute|access-date=2018-01-06}}</ref> | |||
=== Efforts by Trump and his supporters to rewrite the history of the rally === | |||
According to analyses in the '']'' in 2020, Trump and his supporters attempted to distort and rewrite the history of the rally, continuing to claim falsely that there were peaceful elements to the right-wing protest. Fact-checkers emphasized that the rally-goers consisted solely of neo-Nazis and white supremacists, and that "virtually anyone watching cable news coverage or looking at the pictures of the event would know that".<ref>{{cite news|last=Blake|first=Aaron|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2019/04/25/meet-trump-charlottesville-truthers/|quote=The cause were protesting – the removal of Lee's statue – is one supported by many non-white supremacists and non-white nationalists, but this rally was clearly not one for your average supporter of Confederate monuments....And indeed, if you look at what Trump says next, it seems that he totally misconstrues who was actually protesting in Charlottesville|title=Pence joins in the effort to rewrite Trump's Charlottesville history|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=2020-10-08}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Kessler|first=Glenn|quote=The evidence shows there were no quiet protesters against removing the statue that weekend. That's just a figment of the president's imagination|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/05/08/very-fine-people-charlottesville-who-were-they-2/|title=The 'very fine people' at Charlottesville: Who were they?|newspaper=Washington Post|date=2020-05-08}}</ref> | |||
In 2024, Trump downplayed the rally as a "peanut" compared to the ongoing ].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sullivan |first=Kate |date=2024-04-25 |title=Trump downplays deadly Charlottesville rally as a 'peanut' compared to Israel-Gaza protests {{!}} CNN Politics |url=https://www.cnn.com/2024/04/25/politics/donald-trump-charlottesville-palestine-protests/index.html |access-date=2024-05-13 |website=CNN |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-04-25 |title=Trump downplays deadly Charlottesville rally by comparing it to campus protests over Gaza war |url=https://apnews.com/article/trump-charlottesville-college-protests-gaza-biden-antisemitism-b19a1ae593b076d5314f08549b1b0d7b |access-date=2024-05-13 |website=AP News |language=en}}</ref> | |||
===Responses by other politicians=== | |||
] responds to the events surrounding the Unite the Right rally.]] | |||
The day after the rally, Virginia Governor McAuliffe said at a press conference that he had a message for "all the white supremacists and the Nazis who came into Charlottesville today. Our message is plain and simple. Go home ... You are not wanted in this great commonwealth. Shame on you."<ref>{{cite web|last=Kelsey|first=Adam|title=Virginia Gov. McAuliffe to white nationalists: 'No place for you in America'|url=https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/virginia-gov-mcauliffe-white-nationalists-place-america/story?id=49183979|work=ABC News|access-date=2017-08-13|date=2017-08-12|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170813062511/http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/virginia-gov-mcauliffe-white-nationalists-place-america/story?id=49183979|archive-date=2017-08-13}}</ref> Signer said he was disgusted that white supremacists came to his town and he faulted Trump for inflaming racial tensions during his ].<ref>{{cite news|first=Jonathan|last=Lemire|url=https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/trump-place-us-violence-virginia-49179625|title=Trump blames 'many sides' for violent clashes in Virginia|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170813142551/http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/trump-place-us-violence-virginia-49179625|archive-date=2017-08-13|agency=Associated Press|work=ABC News|date=2017-08-12}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.haaretz.com/us-news/charlottesville-mayor-blames-trump-for-white-supremacist-rally-1.5442294|title=Charlottesville Mayor: Trump's White House to Blame for Violent White Supremacist Rally|work=Haaretz|first=Dave|last=Goldiner|date=2017-08-13|access-date=2017-08-13|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170813225049/http://www.haaretz.com/us-news/1.806470|archive-date=2017-08-13}}</ref> | |||
] mayor ] called for city flags to be flown at ], and indicated he favors renaming Confederate Avenue.<ref>{{cite news|title=Atlanta mayor orders flags at half-staff, considers renaming Confederate roads|date=2017-08-15|first=Leon|last=Stafford|newspaper=]|access-date=2018-05-25|url=https://www.ajc.com/news/local-govt--politics/reed-orders-flags-half-staff-considers-renaming-confederate-roads/ISsXHNNrIJyOTIBUt7MA3K/}}</ref> | |||
German Chancellor ] called the violence "horrifying" and "evil" and said: "It is racist, far-right violence and clear, forceful action must be taken against it, regardless of where in the world it happens."<ref>{{cite news|first=Melissa|last=Eddy|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/14/world/europe/charlottesville-far-right-trump-merkel.html|title=Angela Merkel Condemns Charlottesville Violence as 'Racist' and 'Evil'|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170816105038/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/14/world/europe/charlottesville-far-right-trump-merkel.html|archive-date=2017-08-16|url-status=live|newspaper=The New York Times|date=2017-08-14}}</ref> German Justice Minister ] similarly condemned the violence, antisemitism, and racism of the neo-Nazis at the rally.<ref>{{cite news|last=Eshman|first=Rob|url=https://jewishjournal.com/commentary/opinion/rob_eshman/223142/gary-cohn-steven-mnuchin-good/|title=Gary Cohn, Steven Mnuchin: You good with this?|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170817082412/http://jewishjournal.com/opinion/rob_eshman/223142/gary-cohn-steven-mnuchin-good/|archive-date=2017-08-17|url-status=live|work=Jewish Journal|date=2017-08-16}}</ref> | |||
The ] issued a statement saying it was "unified in revulsion at the abhorrent white supremacists demonstration in Charlottesville ... We urge swift and certain justice be meted out to domestic terrorists and groups aiding and abetting through the propagation of hateful ideology."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/08/the-republican-party-is-unified-in-revulsion/538107/|title=The Republican Party Is Unified in Revulsion|last1=Godfrey|first1=Elaine|date=2017-08-25|magazine=The Atlantic|access-date=2018-08-09|last2=Coppins|first2=McKay}}</ref> | |||
Former presidents ] and ] condemned the rally in a joint statement, saying that "America must always reject racial bigotry, anti-Semitism, and hatred in all forms".<ref name=Rhodan>{{cite magazine|last=Rhodan|first=Maya|date=2017-08-16|title=Both Presidents Bush Condemn Hatred a Day After Trump's Press Conference|url=https://time.com/4903103/george-bush-president-statement-hatred-charlottesville/|access-date=2021-05-16|magazine=Time}}</ref> | |||
On April 25, 2019, former vice president ] launched his presidential campaign with a video condemning the events of Charlottesville and Trump's response to it, arguing that "with those words, the President of the United States assigned a moral equivalence between those spreading hate and those with the courage to stand against it, and at that moment, I knew the threat to this nation was unlike any I had ever seen in my lifetime."<ref>{{citation|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbOU2fTg6cI|archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211104/VbOU2fTg6cI|archive-date=2021-11-04|url-status=live|title=Joe Biden For President: America Is An Idea|date=2019-04-25|access-date=2019-04-27}}{{cbignore}}</ref> | |||
===Religious responses=== | |||
The General Secretary of the ], ], stated, "Terror and violence against peaceful people seeking justice in Charlottesville must be condemned by all ... We are proud of moral leadership by clergy and lay people standing against this promotion of racism and white supremacy."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.christiannewswire.com/index.php?module=releases&task=view&releaseID=79975|title=In Charlottesville, Can 'The Power of Love' Prevail?|date=2017-08-14|publisher=Christian Newswire|access-date=2017-08-14|location=Geneva|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170815024841/http://www.christiannewswire.com/index.php?module=releases&task=view&releaseID=79975|archive-date=2017-08-15}}</ref> | |||
The ],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.pcusa.org/news/2017/8/14/pcusa-leaders-condemn-white-supremacy-racism/|title=News & Announcements – PC(USA) leaders condemn white supremacy, racism|last=(U.S.A.)|first=Presbyterian Church|date=2017-08-14|website=www.pcusa.org|access-date=2017-08-22}}</ref> the ],<ref name="Ough2017">{{cite web|url=https://www.umnews.org/en/news/bishop-ough-issues-statement-on-charlottesville|title=Bishop Ough Issues Statement on Charlottesville|last=Ough|first=Bruce R.|date=2017-08-16|publisher=United Methodist Church|access-date=2017-08-16|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170817040401/http://www.umc.org/news-and-media/bishop-ough-issues-statement-on-charlottesville|archive-date=2017-08-17}}</ref> the ],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.livinglutheran.org/2017/08/elca-commitment-confronting-racism-anti-semitism|title=ELCA commitment to confronting racism and anti-Semitism|last=Eaton|first=Elizabeth A.|date=2017-08-15|website=]|access-date=2017-08-17|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170817130835/https://www.livinglutheran.org/2017/08/elca-commitment-confronting-racism-anti-semitism|archive-date=2017-08-17}}</ref> and the ], all of which are members of the ], each individually condemned the Unite the Right rally and the racist ideology behind it,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://oca.org/news/headline-news/holy-synod-of-bishops-issues-statement-on-recent-tragic-events-in-charlotte|title=Holy Synod of Bishops issues statement on recent tragic events in Charlottesville, VA|date=2017-08-16|publisher=]|access-date=2017-08-17|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170817130835/https://oca.org/news/headline-news/holy-synod-of-bishops-issues-statement-on-recent-tragic-events-in-charlotte|archive-date=2017-08-17}}</ref> as did ] and the ].<ref>{{cite press release|title=Church Issues Statements on Situation in Charlottesville, Virginia|url=https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/church-statement-charlottesville-virginia|publisher=The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints|date=2017-08-15|access-date=2017-12-31}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Taylor|first=Scott|title=LDS Church issues statement condemning 'white supremacist attitudes'|url=https://www.deseret.com/2017/8/15/20617639/lds-church-issues-statement-condemning-white-supremacist-attitudes|newspaper=]|date=2017-08-15|access-date=2017-08-16}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Gaffey|first=Conor|title=How a Charlottesville Speaker Forced the Mormon Church to Condemn 'Sinful" White Supremacists|url=https://www.newsweek.com/charlottesville-mormons-white-supremacists-651747|magazine=]|date=2017-08-17|access-date=2017-08-18}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.catholicnews.com/services/englishnews/2017/bishops-ask-for-peace-after-white-nationalist-rally-turns-deadly.cfm|title=Bishops asks for peace after white nationalist rally turns deadly|agency=Catholic News Service|first=Rhina|last=Guidos|date=2017-08-15|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170815215343/http://www.catholicnews.com/services/englishnews/2017/bishops-ask-for-peace-after-white-nationalist-rally-turns-deadly.cfm|archive-date=2017-08-15}}</ref> | |||
The ], ] and ], and ]{{snd}}representing American Orthodox, Conservative, and Reform Jews, respectively{{snd}}all strongly condemned the white supremacist and neo-Nazi violence in Charlottesville.<ref>{{cite press release|url=http://www.rabbis.org/news/article.cfm?id=105950|title=The RCA Condemns Charlottesville Violence and Bigotry|publisher=Rabbinical Council of America|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170820161346/http://www.rabbis.org/news/article.cfm?id=105950|archive-date=2017-08-20}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://uscj.org/Newsroom/PressReleaseArchives/_2017/CharlottevilleStatement.aspx|title=Conservative Movement Statement on Violent Demonstrations in Charlottesville, VA|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170821214109/http://uscj.org/Newsroom/PressReleaseArchives/_2017/CharlottevilleStatement.aspx|archive-date=2017-08-21|work=] and ]|date=2017-08-13|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://urj.org/press-room/urj-president-rabbi-rick-jacobs-charlottesville|title=URJ President Rabbi Rick Jacobs On Charlottesville: We Condemn Neo-Nazi Hate Speech and Call For an End to Violence; But Moral Equivalence of Violence and Hate 'On Many Sides' Is Troubling|work=Union for Reform Judaism|date=2017-08-12}}</ref> Alan Zimmerman, president of Congregation Beth Israel in Charlottesville, recalled the day's events in a blog post: "The fact that a calamity did not befall the Jewish community of Charlottesville on Saturday was not thanks to our politicians, our police, or even our own efforts, but to the grace of God. ... And yet, in the midst of all that, other moments stand out for me, as well. ... At least a dozen complete strangers stopped by the synagogue Saturday to ask if we wanted them to stand with us."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://reformjudaism.org/blog/2017/08/14/charlottesville-local-jewish-community-presses|title=In Charlottesville, the Local Jewish Community Presses On|work=ReformJudaism.org|date=2018-10-11|access-date=2018-10-17}}</ref> | |||
===Academic responses=== | |||
] director ], who witnessed the torchlit rally on August 11, said that the weekend was among the university's darkest days and that he hoped that "people will put it into context and understand that we had no control over the individuals organizing it, nor the people who showed up. ... What I saw was pure evil."<ref>{{cite news|first=Michael|last=Bragg|url=https://www.dailyprogress.com/news/local/sullivan-uva-expected-friday-march-but-details-changed/article_4da25544-8224-11e7-b698-2ba29675c95d.html|title=Sullivan: UVa expected Friday march, but details changed|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170816040458/https://dailyprogress.com/news/local/sullivan-uva-expected-friday-march-but-details-changed/article_4da25544-8224-11e7-b698-2ba29675c95d.html|archive-date=2017-08-16|url-status=live|work=]|date=2017-08-16|access-date=2021-10-27}}</ref> | |||
According to ] historian ], there is a historical "false equivalency" precedent to blaming "both sides" in disputes over race relations. Kruse notes that ] politicians often equated white supremacists with the ], condemning both the KKK and the NAACP.<ref name="Kruse">{{Citation|title=The History of Blaming 'Both Sides' and Why Language Matters|url=https://www.wnyc.org/story/history-blaming-both-sides-language-charlottesville-trump/|work=] News|first=Shumita|last=Basu|date=2017-08-16|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170816232337/http://www.wnyc.org/story/history-blaming-both-sides-language-charlottesville-trump|archive-date=2017-08-16}}</ref> Various historians also questioned Trump's suggestion that the individuals calling for the removal of Confederate monuments would next demand the removal of figures like George Washington and Thomas Jefferson.<ref name=":2">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/15/arts/design/trump-robert-e-lee-george-washington-thomas-jefferson.html|title=Historians Question Trump's Comments on Confederate Monuments|last=Schuessler|first=Jennifer|date=2017-08-15|work=The New York Times|access-date=2017-08-16|issn=0362-4331|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170816195251/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/15/arts/design/trump-robert-e-lee-george-washington-thomas-jefferson.html|archive-date=2017-08-16}}</ref> Harvard historian ]<ref name=":2" /> and others noted that Washington and Jefferson were imperfect men who are notable for creating the United States, whereas the sole historical significance of Confederate figures such as ] and ] is that they went to war against the United States to defend "the right of people to own other people".<ref name=WPPhillips>{{cite news|last=Phillips|first=Kristine|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/retropolis/wp/2017/08/16/historians-no-mr-president-washington-and-jefferson-are-not-the-same-as-confederate-generals/|title=Historians: No, Mr. President, Washington and Jefferson are not the same as Confederate generals|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170817130835/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/retropolis/wp/2017/08/16/historians-no-mr-president-washington-and-jefferson-are-not-the-same-as-confederate-generals/|archive-date=2017-08-17|url-status=live|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=2017-08-16}}</ref> | |||
Other historians noted that some wanted the Confederate monuments moved to museums where the monuments could be appropriately contextualized.<ref name=":2" /> ], senior fellow at the University of Virginia's ] and author of ] on slavery and its aftermath in the U.S. told '']'': "Trump either does not understand the history of the Confederacy or he's sympathetic to white nationalist views. ... hese statues are offensive to millions of citizens that he governs. ... When you reach a point that there are hate groups that engage in terrorist attacks, that these statues are being appropriated and used in way ... simply take down."<ref name=WPPhillips /> | |||
A week after Charlottesville, the Medieval Academy and 28 other scholarly groups released a statement condemning the "fantasy of a pure, white Europe that bears no relationship to reality."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/05/arts/the-battle-for-medieval-studies-white-supremacy.html|title=Medieval Scholars Joust With White Nationalists. And One Another|first=Jennifer|last=Schuessler|newspaper=]|date=2019-05-05}}</ref> | |||
===Military's response=== | |||
The leaders of several branches of the ] took to Twitter to denounce the march. ] Chief of Staff General ], ] Chief of Staff General ], Chief of ] Admiral ], Commandant of the ] General ], Chief of the ] Bureau General Joseph Lengyel all tweeted statements condemning racial intolerance as anathema to what their institutions stand for. The ] took the opportunity to remind its Twitter followers that it had fought Nazis in Europe during World War II.<ref name="McCausland" /> Veterans groups, such as the ] and the ], also publicly criticized the march.<ref>{{cite news|last=Phillips|first=Dave|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/16/us/joint-chiefs-tweets-racism-charlottesville-veterans.html|title=Inspired by Charlottesville, Military Chiefs Condemn Racism|newspaper=The New York Times|date=2017-08-16|access-date=2020-01-21}}</ref> In 2021, the ] released a framework to reduce the risk of extremist activity in the U.S. military.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Posard|first1=Marek N.|last2=Payne|first2=Leslie Adrienne|last3=Miller|first3=Laura L.|date=2021-09-16|title=Reducing the Risk of Extremist Activity in the U.S. Military|url=https://www.rand.org/pubs/perspectives/PEA1447-1.html|journal=]|doi=10.7249/PEA1447-1}}</ref> | |||
Taken together, these responses were extremely unusual in United States history. Military leaders almost never take part in political controversies.<ref name="McCausland">{{cite news|last=McCausland|first=Phil|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/military-joint-chiefs-denounce-charlottesville-racism-n793376|title=Military Joint Chiefs Denounce Charlottesville Racism|work=NBC News|date=2017-08-16|access-date=2020-01-21}}</ref> Furthermore, in whole-heartedly condemning the march and its motives, their public comments put them at odds with the President who is the Commander in Chief of the military.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Hennessey|first1=Susan|first2=Benjamin|last2=Wittes|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/01/trump-myth-unitary-executive/605062/|title=How Trump Busted the Myth of the Unitary Executive|work=The Atlantic|date=2020-01-21|access-date=2020-01-21}}</ref> Milley said that his statement was not intended to be political.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Cohen|first1=Zachary|first2=Barbara|last2=Starr|url=https://www.cnn.com/2017/08/16/politics/joint-chiefs-charlottesville-racism/index.html|title=US military leaders condemn racism after Charlottesville violence|work=]|date=2017-08-16|access-date=2020-01-21}}</ref> | |||
===UN's response=== | |||
In the United Nations ] (CERD) August 18 report, experts recalled the "horrific events in Charlottesville of 11–12 August 2017 leading to the death of Ms. Heather Heyer, and the injuries inflicted on many other protesters, as well as the terrible beating of Mr. Deandre Harris by white supremacists".<ref name="NYT_UN">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/23/world/un-trump-racism-charlottesville.html|title=U.N. Panel Condemns Trump's Response to Charlottesville Violence|last1=Chan|first1=Sewell|date=2017-08-23|work=The New York Times|access-date=2017-10-18|last2=Cumming-Bruce|first2=Nick}}</ref> The UN Committee experts condemned "the failure at the highest political level of the United States of America to unequivocally reject and condemn" racist violence.<ref name="NYT_UN" /><ref>{{cite report|url=http://tbinternet.ohchr.org/Treaties/CERD/Shared%20Documents/USA/INT_CERD_EWU_USA_8285_E.pdf|agency=United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination|number=93|series=Early Warning and Urgent Action Procedures|location=]|title=Prevention of racial discrimination, including early warning and urgent action procedures|pages=2|access-date=2018-08-12|archive-date=2021-07-15|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210715135631/https://tbinternet.ohchr.org/Treaties/CERD/Shared%20Documents/USA/INT_CERD_EWU_USA_8285_E.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="UN_CERD_Aug23_17">{{cite news|url=http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=57399#.WeeJBGhSwdU|agency=United Nations|title=UN rights experts criticize US failure to unequivocally reject racist violent events|date=2017-08-23|access-date=2017-10-18}}</ref> | |||
===President Biden's 2021 statement=== | |||
On ] on January 27, 2021, Biden said: "The horrors we saw and heard in Charlottesville in 2017, with white nationalists and neo-Nazis spewing the same antisemitic bile we heard in the 1930s in Europe, are the reason I ran for president".<ref>{{cite web|last=Kampeas|first=Ron|url=https://www.jta.org/quick-reads/biden-recalls-charlottesville-march-on-holocaust-remembrance-day|title=Biden recalls Charlottesville march on Holocaust Remembrance Day|work=]|date=January 2021|access-date=2021-10-26}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|date=2021-01-27|title=Statement by President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. on International Holocaust Remembrance Day|url=https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/01/27/statement-by-president-joseph-r-biden-jr-on-international-holocaust-remembrance-day/|access-date=2021-05-02|website=The White House}}</ref> | |||
==Consequences== | |||
===Financial costs=== | |||
Albemarle County, the City of Charlottesville and the University of Virginia and its medical center collectively incurred $540,000 in costs from responding to the Ku Klux Klan rally in July 2017 and the Unite the Right rally in August 2017. Costs included police overtime and other expenses, costs from the fire department and the public works department, legal fees, and fees from a ] firm. ], a private hospital, spent more than $59,000.<ref>{{cite news|first1=Chris|last1=Suarez|first2=Ruth|last2=Serven|first3=Allison|last3=Wrabel|url=https://richmond.com/news/virginia/charlottesville-rally-costs-topped-half-a-million-dollars/article_eea2bdbb-8bf3-5e56-b80e-af85293a871f.html|access-date=2021-10-12|title=Charlottesville rally costs topped half a million dollars|work=The Daily Progress|date=2018-01-02|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180103003509/https://richmond.com/news/virginia/charlottesville-rally-costs-topped-half-a-million-dollars/article_eea2bdbb-8bf3-5e56-b80e-af85293a871f.html|archive-date=2018-01-03}}</ref> | |||
===Removal of statues=== | |||
{{See also|Charlottesville historic monument controversy|Removal of Confederate monuments and memorials}} | |||
The violence in Charlottesville accelerated the removal of public ] from many U.S. cities.<ref name="HollandViolence">{{cite news|first=Jesse J.|last=Holland|url=https://apnews.com/article/north-america-charlottesville-tx-state-wire-gainesville-fl-state-wire-6161a7166d3f4a73a769cf5c87b52492|access-date=2021-10-12|url-status=live|title=Violence adds momentum to removal of Confederate statue|work=]|date=2017-08-15|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170816024813/https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/deadly-rally-accelerates-removal-of-confederate-statues/2017/08/15/9928f7d4-8193-11e7-9e7a-20fa8d7a0db6_story.html|archive-date=2017-08-16}}</ref> About twenty monuments were removed in the weeks immediately following the rally.<ref name="ListMonuments">{{cite news|access-date=2021-10-12|url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/08/16/us/confederate-monuments-removed.html|title=Confederate Monuments Are Coming Down Across the United States. Here's a List.|work=]|date=2017-08-21}}</ref> In Baltimore, the city's four Confederate statues were removed on the night of August 15–16; Mayor ] said that she had ordered the overnight removals to preserve public safety.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/16/us/baltimore-confederate-statues.html|title=Baltimore Removes Confederate Statues; Mayor Cites Public Safety|work=]|first1=Nicholas|last1=Fandos|first2=Russell|last2=Goldman|date=2017-08-16|access-date=2017-08-16|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170816194410/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/16/us/baltimore-confederate-statues.html|archive-date=2017-08-16}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Confederate monuments taken down in Baltimore overnight|url=http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/baltimore-city/bs-md-ci-monuments-removed-20170816-story.html|date=2017-08-16|first1=Colin|last1=Campbell|first2=Talia|last2=Richman|first3=Luke|last3=Broadwater|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170816194736/http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/baltimore-city/bs-md-ci-monuments-removed-20170816-story.html|access-date=2021-10-12|archive-date=2017-08-16}}</ref> In ], a group toppled a statue outside the Old Durham County Courthouse; four activists were arrested in connection with the toppling.<ref>{{cite news|first1=Amanda|last1=Jackson|first2=Ralph|last2=Ellis|url=https://www.cnn.com/2017/08/14/us/confederate-statue-pulled-down-north-carolina-trnd/index.html|access-date=2021-10-12|title=Four arrested in toppling of Confederate statue in North Carolina|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170816065308/http://www.cnn.com/2017/08/14/us/confederate-statue-pulled-down-north-carolina-trnd/index.html|url-status=live|archive-date=2017-08-16|work=]|date=2017-08-15}}</ref> Three Confederate statues were also removed from the ] in the aftermath of the Charlottesville violence.<ref>{{cite news|first=Jonah Engel|last=Bromwich|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/21/us/texas-austin-confederate-statues.html|access-date=2021-10-12|title=University of Texas at Austin Removes Confederate Statues in Overnight Operation|newspaper=The New York Times|date=2017-08-21}}</ref> | |||
In ], Mayor ] asked the city council to approve the relocation of two statues from a courthouse.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/2017/08/15/us/confederate-memorial-removal-us-trnd/index.html|title=Here are the Confederate memorials that will be removed after Charlottesville|publisher=CNN|first=Jessica|last=Suerth|date=2017-08-16|access-date=2017-08-16|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170816011809/http://www.cnn.com/2017/08/15/us/confederate-memorial-removal-us-trnd/index.html|archive-date=2017-08-16}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Deadly rally accelerates ongoing removal of Confederate statues across U.S.|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/nation-world/ct-confederate-statue-removal-20170815-story.html|newspaper=]|first=Jesse J.|last=Holland|date=2017-08-15|access-date=2019-07-09}}</ref> Proposals to relocate Confederate memorials were also made in ], and ], among many other places.<ref name="ListMonuments" /> | |||
A plaque in ] that was installed in a ] store commemorating ]'s brief stay in the city by the ] in 1957 was removed following the rally, after many complaints.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/jefferson-davis-confederate-plaque-montreal-1.4248206|title=Confederate plaque on Montreal Hudson's Bay store removed|work=CBC News|date=2017-08-16|access-date=2021-10-12|first=Sarah|last=Leavitt}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2017/08/15/plaque-honouring-confederate-leader-jefferson-davis-removed-from-montreal-building.html|agency=]|title=Plaque honouring Confederate leader Jefferson Davis removed from Montreal building|newspaper=The Toronto Star|date=2017-08-15|access-date=2017-08-16|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170816040434/https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2017/08/15/plaque-honouring-confederate-leader-jefferson-davis-removed-from-montreal-building.html|archive-date=2017-08-16}}</ref> | |||
On July 10, 2021, Charlottesville removed the statues of ] and ].<ref>{{cite news|last1=Paviour|first1=Ben|title=Charlottesville Removes Robert E. Lee Statue That Sparked A Deadly Rally|url=https://www.npr.org/2021/07/10/1014926659/charlottesville-removes-robert-e-lee-statue-that-sparked-a-deadly-rally|access-date=2021-10-12|website=]|date=2021-07-10}}</ref> | |||
===Local politics=== | |||
Most senior city officials in office at the time of the rally had resigned or retired a year later, or were about to.<ref name="NYT 21 July 2018">{{cite news|last1=Stockman|first1=Farah|title=Year After White Nationalist Rally, Charlottesville Is in Tug of War Over Its Soul|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/21/us/white-nationalist-rally-charlottesville-mayor.html|access-date=2018-07-22|work=The New York Times|date=2018-07-21}}</ref> The city attorney (who had considered that the city couldn't legally stop the rally) left Charlottesville for another job, the chief of police resigned in the wake of a report concluding that the police failed to protect the public, and the ] was set to retire by the end of 2018.<ref name="NYT 21 July 2018" /> | |||
As a consequence of the rally, a left-wing political coalition became ascendant in local politics, with the aim of overturning what they considered age-old racial and economic injustice.<ref name="NYT 21 July 2018" /> ], one of the local activists who charged into a city council meeting days after the rally to confront the city leadership, was elected mayor in January 2018.<ref name="NYT 21 July 2018" /> A ''New York Times'' report in July 2018 concluded that the issue of whether the rally's violence was mainly the fault of outsiders or a consequence of local racism remained controversial in Charlottesville, and that the city remained divided between activists for change and those who would prefer to return to the ''status quo''.<ref name="NYT 21 July 2018" /> | |||
===''Sines v. Kessler''=== | |||
{{Main|Sines v. Kessler}} | |||
In November 2017, nine Charlottesville residents who suffered physical and psychological injuries during the Charlottesville violence filed a civil lawsuit in the ] against Jason Kessler and other organizers and promoters of the rallies.<ref name=":62">{{cite web|last=Lavoie|first=Denise|date=2021-11-23|title=Jury awards millions in damages for Unite the Right violence|url=https://apnews.com/article/violence-lawsuits-race-and-ethnicity-charlottesville-01d9437ec28ed71b4bae293d7e0d815d|access-date=2021-11-23|website=]}}</ref><ref name="nytimes sines feb182">{{cite news|last=Feuer|first=Alan|date=2018-02-18|title=Planners of Deadly Charlottesville Rally Are Tested in Court|website=]|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/12/us/charlottesville-lawsuit-far-right-heather-heyer.html|access-date=2018-08-07}}</ref> The plaintiffs claim their civil rights were violated, as the organizers had urged those attending the Unite the Right rally to arm themselves and partake in violence. The plaintiffs sought both ] and ] relief from the trial.<ref name="nytimes sines feb182"/> The defendants' motion to dismiss were denied.<ref>, ''Daily Progress'' (July 10, 2018).</ref> | |||
The trial began on October 25, 2021.<ref>{{cite web|last=Lavoie|first=Denise|date=2021-10-25|title='Unite the Right' rally's planners accused in civil trial|url=https://apnews.com/article/crime-violence-lawsuits-race-and-ethnicity-racial-injustice-ca2329e483476a1af2f14e23aeae6670|access-date=2021-10-25|website=]}}</ref> On November 23, 2021, jurors found in favor of the plaintiffs on the four counts and deadlocked on two other counts. Finding 17 white nationalist leaders and organizations liable, the jury awarded more than $25{{Nbsp}}million in damages.<ref name=":4">{{cite news|last=Paul|first=Deanna|date=2021-11-23|title=Charlottesville Trial Verdict: Jury Finds Prominent White Supremacist Leaders Liable|language=en-US|work=]|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/charlottesville-trial-verdict-jury-finds-prominent-white-supremacist-leaders-liable-11637698395|access-date=2021-11-23|issn=0099-9660}}</ref><ref name=":62"/> | |||
{{anchor|Rise Above Movement}} | |||
===Indictment of "Rise Above Movement" members=== | |||
====Convicted members==== | |||
In August 2018, four members of the Southern California-based ] (RAM), were indicted in federal court in Virginia on charges of violating, and ] to violate, a federal ] statute. Federal prosecutors and investigators charged the four California men{{snd}}Benjamin Drake Daley, Thomas Walter Gillen, Michael Paul Miselis, and Cole Evan White{{snd}}with planning violent acts at the Charlottesville rally and carrying out multiple assaults against counterprotesters.<ref name=DugganFourAlleged>{{cite news|last=Duggan|first=Paul|date=2018-10-02|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/public-safety/federal-officials-to-announce-additional-charges-in-2017-unite-the-right-rally-in-charlottesville/2018/10/02/60881262-c651-11e8-9b1c-a90f1daae309_story.html|access-date=2021-10-12|title=Four alleged members of hate group charged in 2017 'Unite the Right' rally in Charlottesville|newspaper=]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Reilly|first1=Ryan J.|last2=Campbell|first2=Andy|last3=Mathias|first3=Christopher|date=2018-10-02|url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/charlottesville-arrests-unite-the-right-rally_n_5bb3813de4b00fe9f4fac630|access-date=2021-10-12|title=4 White Supremacists Hit With Federal Charges Over Charlottesville Unite The Right Weekend|work=]}}</ref><ref name=HammelAvoids>{{cite news|title=Final RAM member avoids prison after cooperating|author=Tyler Hammel|date=2020-10-16|url=https://dailyprogress.com/news/august12/final-ram-member-avoids-prison-after-cooperating/article_e8c93b1c-0fea-11eb-9ae7-873b084be22e.html}}</ref> RAM, a militant white supremacist and neo-Nazi gang,<ref name=GoldmanWinston>{{cite news|first1=Adam|last1=Goldman|first2=Ali|last2=Winston|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/24/us/fbi-white-nationalist-robert-paul-rundo-rise-above.html|title=The FBI arrests a white-supremacist leader who fled the country for Central America|newspaper=]|date=2018-10-24|access-date=2018-11-21}}</ref> espoused racism and antisemitism.<ref name=DugganFourAlleged/> The group, which claimed a membership of more than 50 people, had previously "boasted publicly of their violence during protests in Huntington Beach, San Bernardino and Berkeley."<ref>{{cite news|last=Coaston|first=Joan|date=2018-10-02|url=https://www.vox.com/2018/10/2/17928174/charlottesville-unite-the-right-alt-right-violence-federal-charges|access-date=2021-10-12|title=4 members of an alt-right 'fight club' charged with inciting a riot in Charlottesville|work=]}}</ref> | |||
Daley, Gillen, Miselis, and White all pleaded guilty in May 2019, admitting that they "collectively pushed, punched, kicked, choked, head-butted, and otherwise assaulted several individuals, resulting in a riot".<ref name=ThompsonAllFour>{{cite news|first=A. C.|last=Thompson|url=https://www.propublica.org/article/all-four-white-supremacists-charged-in-charlottesville-violence-plead-guilty|access-date=2021-10-12|title=Once Defiant, All Four White Supremacists Charged in Charlottesville Violence Plead Guilty|work=]|date=2019-05-06}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|first=Paul|last=Duggan|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/public-safety/accused-serial-rioters-plead-guilty-in-charlottesville-racist-mayhem/2019/05/03/1fad4848-6dbd-11e9-be3a-33217240a539_story.html|access-date=2021-10-12|title=Accused 'serial rioters' plead guilty over racist mayhem in Charlottesville|newspaper=]|date=2019-05-03}}</ref> Daley, Gillen, and Miselis were sentenced to prison turns of 37 months, 33 months and 27 months, respectively.<ref name=HammelAvoids/> Daley and Miselis submitted conditional guilty pleas that allowed them to appeal on the issue of the ], which they claimed was unconstitutional. The ] rejected this argument, and affirmed the convictions while adopting a limiting constructions to the Act, holding that the key parts of the statute were constitutional as so construed.<ref>, 134 Harv. L. Rev. 2614 (2021).</ref> White, who cooperated with authorities and admitted guilty earlier than the others, served 7 months in prison and in 2019 was released, being permitted to spend the rest of his sentence on home electronic monitoring.<ref name=HammelAvoids/> | |||
====Pending charges==== | |||
Robert Rundo, the founder of RAM, was charged in federal court in California in a criminal complaint unsealed in October 2018. Other members of the group{{snd}}Robert Boman, Tyler Laube, and Aaron Eason{{snd}}were also arrested and charged in federal court in California with violations of the federal Anti-Riot Act, specifically conspiracy to commit rioting and use of interstate commerce with intent to riot.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/aaron-eason-arrested-white-supremacist_n_5bd698a2e4b0a8f17ef942ce|title=Aaron Eason Arrested For Allegedly Inciting Violence In California, Charlottesville|work=]|first=Christopher|last=Weber|date=2018-10-29|access-date=2018-11-21}}</ref><ref name=Sclafani>{{cite news|first=Julia|last=Sclafani|url=https://www.latimes.com/socal/daily-pilot/news/tn-dpt-me-hb-ram-charges-dropped-20190604-story.html|access-date=2021-10-12|title=Judge dismisses federal charges against 3 members of H.B.-based white power group|newspaper=]|date=2019-06-04}}</ref> Rundo fled to Central America, where he was quickly arrested and extradited to the United States.<ref name=GoldmanWinston/> | |||
U.S. District Judge ] dismissed the charges against Rundo, Boman, and Eason in June 2019, ruling that the federal Anti-Riot Act is "unconstitutionally overbroad in violation of the First Amendment."<ref name=Sclafani/> Laube's case was also dismissed,<ref>{{cite news|first=Gabriel|last=San Román|date=2019-06-21|url=https://www.ocweekly.com/white-supremacist-who-punched-weekly-reporter-gets-case-dismissed/|access-date=2021-10-12|title=White Supremacist Who Punched Weekly Reporter Gets Case Dismissed|work=]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191127104025/https://ocweekly.com/white-supremacist-who-punched-weekly-reporter-gets-case-dismissed/|url-status=live|archive-date=2019-11-27}}</ref> following the 2019 withdrawal of a November 2018 guilty plea.<ref>{{cite news|first=A. C.|last=Thompson|url=https://www.propublica.org/article/member-of-white-supremacist-group-pleads-guilty-to-assaults-at-2017-rally|access-date=2021-10-12|title=Member of White Supremacist Group Pleads Guilty to Assaults at 2017 Rally|work=]|date=2018-11-21}}</ref> In 2021 the ] reversed the district court's dismissal, finding that the challenged provisions of the Anti-Riot Act were, in fact, constitutional.<ref>, City News Service Pasadena (March 4, 2021).</ref> Federal prosecutors thus resumed the criminal case against Rundo, Boman, and Laube; a new indictment against them was unsealed in January 2023.<ref name=Lamoureux>Mack Lamoureux, . ''Vice'' (January 6, 2023).</ref> In addition to the defendants' participation in Charlottesville, the indictment also references the group's street brawls in California.<ref name=Lamoureux/> Rundo was arrested in ] in March 2023 and extradited to the United States.<ref>Nick Thorpe, , BBC News (May 29, 2023).</ref> | |||
===Threats against a local politician=== | |||
Charlottesville community activist Don Gathers, the co-founder of Charlottesville's ] chapter, who also served on the blue-ribbon committee which, after the Unite the Right rally, met to decide whether to remove or relocate the Confederate statues which were the putative focus of the rally, announced in a press release on January 7, 2019, that he would be a candidate for the Charlottesville city council, using the slogan "Community Driven, Community Focused". Gathers{{snd}}who was also a member of the city's Civilian Police Review Board, and a deacon at First Baptist Church{{snd}}scheduled a public event for the next day, but instead of officially announcing his candidacy, Gathers, who is black, withdrew from the race. He also resigned from the Review Board that night.<ref name=gathersmcmahon /><ref name=huffpostmcmahon /> | |||
On September 18, 2019, white supremacist Daniel McMahon of ], was arrested and charged with willful interference with a candidate for elective office, bias-motivated interference with a candidate for elective office, threats to injure in interstate commerce, and ] for threatening physical violence to Gathers, because he was a black man running for public office, causing Gathers to fear bodily injury or even death. McMahon, who is known online as the trolls "Jack Corbin" and "Pale Horse", described himself on ]{{snd}}a social network popular with far-right users{{snd}}as a "Goddamn ]". He praised both ], the neo-Nazi who ] at the Unite the Right rally, killing one person and injuring 28, and was sentenced to life imprisonment, and Robert Bowers, the perpetrator of the 2018 ], frequently citing Fields as an exemplar to intimidate anti-fascists. McMahon has expressed the opinions that "] are superior to members of other racial, ethnic and religious groups", that undocumented immigrants deserve to be treated "like the ]es they are", and white people have the right to exist, but ] people do not.<ref name=gathersmcmahon>{{cite news|last=Flynn|first=Meaghan|date=2019-09-19|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2019/09/19/daniel-mcmahon-white-supremacist-charlottesville-threats/|access-date=2021-10-12|title=White supremacist's threats led black Charlottesville candidate to drop out of race, feds say|newspaper=]}}</ref><ref name=huffpostmcmahon>{{cite news|last1=Reilly|first1=Ryan J.|last2=Mathias|first2=Christopher|date=2019-10-19|url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/white-supremacist-charlottesville-daniel-mcmahon_n_5d828079e4b0957256b04a12|title=White Supremacist Arrested For Threatening Charlottesville Black Lives Matter Co-Founder|work=]|access-date=2021-10-12}}</ref> In 2020, McMahon pleaded guilty to charges of racially-motivated threats to interfere with an election, and one count of cyberstalking. He was sentenced 41 months in prison.<ref>{{cite web|date=2020-08-31|title=Office of Public Affairs {{!}} Florida Man Sentenced for Racially-Motivated Interference with Election in Charlottesville, Virginia and for Cyberstalking in Florida {{!}} United States Department of Justice|url=https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/florida-man-sentenced-racially-motivated-interference-election-charlottesville-virginia-and|access-date=2023-09-10|website=www.justice.gov}}</ref> | |||
== 2018 anniversary rally == | |||
{{Main|Unite the Right 2}} | |||
] as the "Crying Nazi" in front of the ] on August 11, 2018|alt=]] | |||
In November 2017, Jason Kessler, the organizer of the rally, applied for a permit to hold a rally in Charlottesville in August 2018, on the anniversary of the march. In December 2017, the city of Charlottesville denied the permit, writing that Kessler's application "likely underestimates the number of participants" and that "no reasonable allocation of city funds or resources can guarantee that event participants will be free of any 'threat of violence{{'"}}.<ref name=":7">{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/charlottesville-denies-permit-for-event-marking-anniversary-of-supremacist-rally/2017/12/11/2d15533e-debe-11e7-8679-a9728984779c_story.html|title=Charlottesville denies permit for event marking anniversary of supremacist rally|last=Heim|first=Joe|date=2017-12-11|newspaper=]|access-date=2018-06-27|issn=0190-8286}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/12/us/charlottesville-protest-permit-denied.html|title=White Nationalists Want to March Again. Charlottesville Says No.|last=Astor|first=Maggie|date=2017-12-12|work=The New York Times|access-date=2018-06-27}}</ref> While Kessler filed suit against the city, he withdrew the suit before any ruling was made.<ref name=WCAV>{{cite news|title=White Nationalist Jason Kessler Concedes Fight Over Charlottesville Anniversary Rally|date=2018-07-24|first=Courteney|last=Stuart|publisher=CBS19News (])|url=http://www.cbs19news.com/content/news/Kessler-abandons-battle-to-obtain-permit-for-anniversary-rally-489027691.html|access-date=2021-10-12}}</ref> | |||
In June 2018, Jason Kessler's application for a "]" was approved for August 11 and 12 by the ].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/unite-the-right-organizer-gets-approval-for-rally-anniversary-event-in-dc/2018/06/20/597a1b1a-74a7-11e8-9780-b1dd6a09b549_story.html|title='Unite the Right' organizer gets approval for rally anniversary event in D.C.|last=Heim|first=Joe|date=2018-06-20|newspaper=]|access-date=2018-06-27|issn=0190-8286}}</ref> The rally was planned to be held in Washington, D.C.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-44557468|title=Washington DC far-right rally planned|date=2018-06-21|work=BBC News|access-date=2018-06-27}}</ref> A coalition of 18 activist groups under the collective title D.C. Against Hate planned "to counter-protest the event on a massive scale, with the aim of shutting down the rally entirely".<ref>{{cite web|title=White Nationalist Jason Kessler Concedes Fight Over Charlottesville Rally|date=2018-07-24|website=]|url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/white-nationalist-jason-kessler-concedes-fight-over-charlottesville-anniversary-rally|access-date=2021-10-12}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Leftist Activists: We're Going to Shut Down the Charlottesville Sequel in D.C.|first=Kelly|last=Weill|website=]|date=2018-07-12|url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/leftist-activists-were-going-to-shut-down-the-charlottesville-sequel-in-dc|access-date=2021-10-12}}</ref> | |||
On July 31, 2018 ] announced that it had deleted a number of accounts which were engaging in "coordinated inauthentic behavior".<ref>{{cite news|last=Gleicher|first=Nathaniel|date=2018-07-31|url=https://newsroom.fb.com/news/2018/07/removing-bad-actors-on-facebook/|title=Removing Bad Actors on Facebook / What We've Found So Far|work=]|access-date=2021-10-12}}</ref> Among the activities being pursued by these accounts was the organization of a counter-protest of the 2018 anniversary rally in Washington, D.C. Initial reports showed links between the deleted accounts and the Russian-based ] (IRA), which was connected to Russian misinformation campaigns during the ].<ref>{{cite web|date=2017-01-06|url=https://www.dni.gov/files/documents/ICA_2017_01.pdf|access-date=2021-10-12|title=Background to 'Assessing Russian Activities and Intentions in Recent US Elections': The Analytic Process and Cyber Incident Attribution|work=]}}</ref> | |||
The Unite the Right 2 rally occurred on August 12, 2018, and saw low turnout, with up to 30 Kessler supporters while counter-protesters who demonstrated against the rally numbered into the thousands.<ref name="HeimThebaultJamisonLang" /> There were only a few arrests, no one was injured, and the crowd was dispersed early by a rainstorm.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Fausset|first1=Richard|title=Rally by White Nationalists Was Over Almost Before It Began Video|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/12/us/politics/charlottesville-va-protest-unite-the-right.html|access-date=2021-10-12|website=]|date=2018-08-12}}</ref> | |||
== Legacy == | |||
On August 9, 2018, ], writing for ], noted that "Charlottesville has become shorthand for racial strife." Elliott also noted that the rally "forced to rethink racial history", adding that "the new narrative is coming from the nearly 20 percent of residents who are not white and have long experienced racial disparities.", but that "as that story is being amplified, some fear being drowned out of the conversation".<ref>{{cite news|last=Elliott|first=Debbie|date=2018-08-09|title='Unite The Right' Rally Forced Charlottesville To Rethink Town's Racial History|work=NPR|url=https://www.npr.org/2018/08/09/637230082/unite-the-right-rally-forced-charlottesville-to-rethink-town-s-racial-history|access-date=2022-06-29}}</ref> | |||
On August 10, 2018, politician ], writing for '']'', argued that "a growing body of evidence suggests that the true legacy of Unite the Right will be the unity that's been forged by those on the other side—those who dare to face down the evils of historical revisionism and injustice to forge a better future." Perriello also argued that the rally may have started "the slow death of ]", resulted in "Bankruptcy and jail time for Nazis", helped the Democrats win the ] in November, and "Rais the bar for white allyship", resulting in "today's white allies more numerous, less expectant of being in charge, and more prepared to use white privilege as a shield on the front lines."<ref>{{cite web|last=Perriello|first=Tom|date=2018-08-10|title=The Legacy of the Unite the Right Rally Will be the Unity Forged by Those on the Other Side|url=https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2018/08/unite-the-right-its-legacy-will-be-the-unity-forged-by-those-on-the-other-side.html|access-date=2022-06-29|website=]}}</ref> | |||
Also on August 10, political scientist ], writing for '']'', argued that "The myth of Charlottesville is that the rally was a big success for the alt-right. The organizers had two major political goals for the rally: firstly, to show the country that the alt-right is not just a social media phenomenon, and secondly, to bring various far right groups together. Neither of these goals was realized." and that "The rally's goal to reunite the extreme 'alt-right' with the radical ']' has failed as they grow further apart".<ref>{{cite web|last=Mudde|first=Cas|date=2018-08-10|title=The far right hails 'Unite the Right' a success. Its legacy says otherwise {{!}} Cas Mudde|url=http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/aug/10/unite-the-right-rally-alt-right-demise|access-date=2022-06-29|website=The Guardian}}</ref> | |||
On the third anniversary of the Unite the Right rally in August 2020, lawyer ] and ] historian ], writing for CNN, argued that "it is now clear that the violence and hatred evident at Charlottesville was not a passing moment or a onetime event.", citing several prominent killings and shootings that happened afterwards which "all had connections to and echoed the slogans and worldview so proudly proclaimed by the groups and individuals who came to Charlottesville.", including the ], the ], the ], the ], and the ].<ref>{{cite web|last1=Kaplan|first1=Roberta|last2=Lipstadt|first2=Deborah|date=2020-08-12|title=Three years later, Charlottesville's legacy of neo-Nazi hate still festers|url=https://www.cnn.com/2020/08/11/opinions/charlottesville-three-years-later-hate-festers-lipstadt-kaplan/index.html|access-date=2022-06-29|website=CNN}}</ref> | |||
On the fifth anniversary of the rally, several remembrance events were held in Charlottesville, including a moment of silence at the ] chapel. The Anti-Defamation League released a statement saying that the rally "stunned the nation and brought the profound threat of domestic extremism into sharp focus"., adding that "Today, white supremacists have reimagined their messaging and tactics, but remain a critical threat, as clearly evidenced by attacks in Pittsburgh, El Paso, Poway and Buffalo, and by their participation in attempts to intimidate vulnerable communities and subvert our democracy".<ref>{{cite web|last1=Tucker|first1=Emma|last2=Johnston|first2=Chuck|date=2022-08-11|title=Five years later, Charlottesville pauses to reflect on deadly White nationalist rally|url=https://www.cnn.com/2022/08/11/us/unite-the-right-rally-anniversary/index.html|access-date=2023-06-15|website=CNN}}</ref> The Southern Poverty Law Center stated that "Five years after white supremacists descended on Charlottesville, Virginia, the statue they came to protect is gone, and the 'alt-right' coalition they embodied has imploded. At the same time, the existential threat that far-right extremism poses to the U.S. has arguably never been more severe."<ref>{{cite web|title='Unite the Right' 5 Years Later: Where Are They Now?|url=https://www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2022/08/11/unite-right-5-years-later-where-are-they-now|access-date=2023-06-15|website=Southern Poverty Law Center}}</ref> According to NPR, "Racial justice advocates see the terror as a turning point for the country – one that encouraged far right political violence, including the attack on the U.S. Capitol last year." Despite these setbacks, NPR also noted that "Civic engagement in Charlottesville has increased in the last five years. Community activists are pressing the city on equity issues, including in housing and public schools."<ref>{{cite news|last=Elliott|first=Debbie|date=2022-08-12|title=The Charlottesville rally 5 years later: 'It's what you're still trying to forget'|work=NPR|url=https://www.npr.org/2022/08/12/1116942725/the-charlottesville-rally-5-years-later-its-what-youre-still-trying-to-forget}}</ref> | |||
=== January 6 United States Capitol attack === | |||
], research director at ]'s ], said that key figures in the Unite the Right rally worked to raise online fury ahead of the ].<ref>{{cite web|author=Eliott C. McLaughlin|title=Violence at Capitol and beyond reignites debate over America's defense of extremist speech|url=https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/19/us/capitol-riots-speech-hate-extremist-first-amendment/index.html|access-date=2021-03-16|website=CNN|date=2021-01-19|quote=As an expert in online extremism and disinformation campaigns, she watched as{{nbsp}}... key figures in Gamergate and Charlottesville stoked online fury ahead of the attempted coup.}}</ref> | |||
==See also== | |||
{{Portal|Virginia}} | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
* ] in ], held by the pro-] organization named the ] and attended by 20,000 Bundmen who espoused ] and ] and beat a Jewish counter-protester named Isadore Greenbaum. The rally has frequently been compared to the march in Charlottesville.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/documentary-shows-1939-nazi-rally-madison-square-garden-180965248/|first=Jason|last=Daley|title=Footage Recalls the Night Madison Square Garden Filled With Nazis|work=Smithsonian Magazine|date=2017-10-13|access-date=2019-07-09}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nydailynews.com/news/charlottesville-clashes-reminscient-30s-nazi-rallies-msg-article-1.3406557|date=2017-08-12|first=Mike|last=Lupica|title=LUPICA: Charlottesville's violent clashes reminiscent of American Nazi rallies at MSG|work=New York Daily News|access-date=2018-06-22}}{{dead link|date=January 2023|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|first=Gordon F.|last=Sander|url=https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/08/23/nazi-german-american-bund-rally-madison-square-garden-215522/|date=2017-08-23|title=When Nazis Filled Madison Square Garden|work=Politico Magazine|access-date=2018-06-22}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://longreads.com/2017/08/14/a-look-back-at-the-1939-pro-nazi-rally-at-madison-square-garden-and-the-protestors-who-organized-against-it/|first=Matt|last=Giles|date=2017-08-14|title=A Look Back at the 1939 Pro-Nazi Rally at Madison Square Garden and the Protestors Who Organized Against It|work=Longreads|access-date=2018-06-22}}</ref> | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
* ], a new (2019) holiday which is officially celebrated in the city of Charlottesville | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
* "], Charlottesville"{{snd}}collaboration between ] and '']''<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/article/tonight-on-frontline-documenting-hate-charlottesville/|title=Documenting Hate: Charlottesville|work=]|first=Raney|last=Aronson-Bath|date=2018-08-08|access-date=2018-11-21}}</ref> | |||
*{{section link|Robert Edward Lee (sculpture)|Protests against its removal}} | |||
* ], a US State Department employee who attended the Unite the Right rally | |||
* ], an alt-right movement group founded during the aftermath of the Unite the Right rally | |||
* ] | |||
* ], a controversy surrounding ]'s comments about Nazis | |||
== References == | == References == | ||
{{reflist|30em}} | |||
==External links== | |||
* {{Commons category-inline}} | |||
* by ] of ], commissioned by the City of Charlottesville | |||
* , news documentary by ] (22 minutes) | |||
* , ABC News | |||
* | |||
*, ] | |||
* {{cite episode|title=Documenting Hate: Charlottesville|series=Frontline|series-link=Frontline (American TV program)|network=]|station=]|date=2018-08-07|season=37|number=3|url=https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/documentary/documenting-hate-charlottesville/|access-date=2023-10-03}} | |||
{{Alt-right footer|state=collapsed}} | |||
{{Charlottesville, Virginia}} | |||
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Latest revision as of 12:08, 23 December 2024
2017 white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia This article is about the 2017 rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. For the 2018 rally in Washington, D.C., see Unite the Right 2.
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The Unite the Right rally was a white supremacist rally that took place in Charlottesville, Virginia, from August 11 to 12, 2017. Marchers included members of the alt-right, neo-Confederates, neo-fascists, white nationalists, neo-Nazis, Klansmen, and far-right militias. Some groups chanted racist and antisemitic slogans and carried weapons, Nazi and neo-Nazi symbols, the Valknut, Confederate battle flags, Deus vult crosses, flags, and other symbols of various past and present antisemitic and anti-Islamic groups. The organizers' stated goals included the unification of the American white nationalist movement and opposing the proposed removal of the statue of General Robert E. Lee from Charlottesville's former Lee Park. The rally sparked a national debate over Confederate iconography, racial violence, and white supremacy. The event had hundreds of participants.
The rally occurred amid the controversy which was generated by the removal of Confederate monuments by local governments following the Charleston church shooting in 2015, in which Dylann Roof, a white supremacist, shot and killed nine members of a black church, including the minister (a state senator), and wounded another member of the church. The rally turned violent after protesters clashed with counter-protesters, resulting in more than 30 injured. On the morning of August 12, Virginia governor Terry McAuliffe declared a state of emergency, stating that public safety could not be safeguarded without additional powers. Within an hour, at 11:22 a.m., the Virginia State Police declared the rally to be an unlawful assembly. At around 1:45 p.m., self-identified white supremacist James Alex Fields Jr. deliberately rammed his car into a crowd of counter-protesters about 1⁄2 mile (800 m) away from the rally site, killing Heather Heyer and injuring 35 people. Fields fled the scene in his car but was arrested soon afterward. He was tried and convicted in Virginia state court of first-degree murder, malicious wounding, and other crimes in 2018, with the jury recommending a sentence of life imprisonment plus 419 years. The following year, Fields pleaded guilty to 29 federal hate crimes in a plea agreement to avoid the death penalty in this trial.
US President Donald Trump's remarks about the rally generated negative responses. In his initial statement following the rally, Trump condemned the "display of hatred, bigotry, and violence on many sides". This first statement and his subsequent defenses of it, in which he also referred to "very fine people on both sides", were criticized as implying a moral equivalence between the white supremacist protesters and the counter-protesters, despite him saying in the same defense that the neo-Nazis and white nationalists "should be condemned totally".
The rally and resulting death and injuries resulted in a backlash against white supremacist groups in the United States. A number of groups that participated in the rally had events canceled by universities, and their financial and social media accounts closed by major companies. Some Twitter users led a campaign to identify and publicly shame marchers at the rally from photographs; at least one rally attendee was dismissed from his job as a result of the campaign. While the organizers intended for the rally to unite far-right groups with the goal of playing a larger role in American politics, the backlash and resultant infighting between alt-right leaders has been credited with causing a decline in the movement.
After Charlottesville refused to approve another march, Unite the Right held an anniversary rally on August 11–12, 2018, called "Unite the Right 2", in Washington, D.C. The rally drew only 20–30 protesters amidst thousands of counter-protesters, including religious organizations, civil rights groups, and anti-fascist organizers.
Background
In the wake of the Charleston church shooting in June 2015, efforts were made across the South to remove Confederate monuments from public spaces and rename streets honoring notable figures from the Confederacy. While often successful, these efforts faced a backlash from people concerned about protecting their Confederate heritage. The August 11–12 Unite the Right rally was organized by Charlottesville native and white supremacist Jason Kessler to protest the Charlottesville City Council's decision to remove the Robert E. Lee statue honoring the Confederate general, as well as the renaming of the statue's eponymous park (renamed to Emancipation Park in June 2017, and again to Market Street Park in 2018). Kessler took up the cause in March 2016 when then Charlottesville Vice Mayor Wes Bellamy held a press conference to call for removal of the statue. Kessler called Bellamy "anti-white" and the demand to remove the statue an effort to "attack white history". Lee Park became the site of numerous neo-Confederate events throughout the spring of 2017, including a campaign rally by Virginia Republican gubernatorial candidate Corey Stewart, which further politicized this public space.
Summer rallies in Charlottesville
On May 13, 2017, National Policy Institute Chairman and white supremacist Richard Spencer led a nighttime rally in Charlottesville to protest the city's plans to remove the statue of Lee. The event involved over 100 protesters, from various alt-right groups from around the country, chanting "You will not replace us!", "Jews will not replace us!" and "Russia is our friend!" while holding lit torches near the statue, a spectacle which many Charlottesville residents found intimidating, and which the mayor denounced as a "harken back to the days of the KKK." The next night, hundreds of anti-racist Charlottesville residents held a candlelight counterprotest in response. Throughout early to mid-2017, tensions mounted as neo-Confederate and alt-right groups' sporadic gatherings in Charlottesville's downtown parks and pedestrian mall were confronted by anti-racist activists, resulting in occasional scuffles and some arrests. On July 8, 2017, the Loyal White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, a group from Pelham, North Carolina, held a rally at the Stonewall Jackson statue in Charlottesville. In opposition to the rally, the Charlottesville Clergy Collective created a safe space two blocks from the Klan rally at First United Methodist Church, which was used by over 600 people. About 50 Klan members were drowned out by 1,000 counterprotesters (including 23 civil disobedience activists arrested for attempting to block the Klan group's entry into the park), who gathered at a loud but nonviolent rally dubbed by anti-racist organizers as the "#BlocKKKParty". After the Klan group's departure the Charlottesville Police Department declared the remaining counterprotesters to be an unlawful assembly, and ordered their dispersal – an order which, given the din of the crowd and the police helicopter hovering overhead, went unheard by many in the crowd. Although the Charlottesville chief of police had denied permission for the measure, the Virginia State Police acted upon an order and fired three tear gas canisters into a group of counterprotesters. Police and city government officials later defended the action, which anti-racist counter-demonstrators and legal observer organizations characterized as police brutality. The resulting mistrust between law enforcement and local activists clouded the remainder of the summer, setting the stage for the August 12 Unite the Right rally.
Protesters
Among the far-right groups engaged in organizing the march were the Stormer Book Clubs (SBCs) of the neo-Nazi news website The Daily Stormer, The Right Stuff, the National Policy Institute, and four groups that form the Nationalist Front: the neo-Confederate League of the South and Identity Dixie, the neo-Nazi groups Traditionalist Worker Party, Vanguard America, and the National Socialist Movement. Other groups involved in the rally were the Ku Klux Klan (specifically the Loyal White Knights and the Confederate White Knights branches), the Fraternal Order of Alt-Knights, the neo-nazi White supremacist group Identity Evropa (since rebranded as the 'American Identity Movement'), the Southern California-based fight club Rise Above Movement, the American Guard, the Detroit Right Wings – who were condemned by the Detroit Red Wings NHL team for their use of the team's logo, True Cascadia, the Canada-based ARM (Alt-Right Montreal) and Hammer Brothers, and Anti-Communist Action.
Prominent far-right figures in attendance included Spencer, entertainer and internet troll Baked Alaska, lawyer Augustus Invictus, former Ku Klux Klan Imperial Wizard David Duke, Identity Evropa leader Nathan Damigo, Traditionalist Workers Party leader Matthew Heimbach, Right Stuff founder Mike Enoch, Joshua Jordan (otherwise known as Eric Striker) of The Daily Stormer and the Traditionalist Workers Party, League of the South founder and leader Michael Hill, Red Ice host and founder Henrik Palmgren, The Rebel Media commentator Faith Goldy, Right Side Broadcasting Network host Nick Fuentes, YouTube personality James Allsup, Altright.com European editor Daniel Friberg, former Business Insider CTO Pax Dickinson, Right Stuff blogger Johnny Monoxide, Daily Stormer writers Robert "Azzmador" Ray and Gabriel "Zeiger" Sohier-Chaput, Daily Caller contributor and rally organizer Jason Kessler, and Radical Agenda host Christopher Cantwell.
Gavin McInnes, the leader of the self-described "Western chauvinist" Proud Boys was invited to attend but declined because of an unwillingness "to be associated with explicit neo-Nazis" although the militia wing of the group, the aforementioned Fraternal Order of the Alt-Knights, did attend. In June, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center's Hatewatch blog, ahead of the rally, McInnes declared that "we need to distance ourselves from them", but "after backlash to the original disavowal flared-up from Alt-Right circles, the statement was withdrawn and replaced with another distancing the Proud Boys from the event yet also encouraging those who 'feel compelled' to attend".
Teddy Joseph Von Nukem later rose to fame after being photographed in the most widely recognized images of the protest.
Airbnb cancelled a number of bookings and accounts when it learned that they were being used by attendees at the rally, citing a request that users endorse a commitment to "accept people regardless of their race, religion, national origin, ethnicity, disability, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, or age".
In February 2023, the city of Enid, Oklahoma, elected Judson Blevins, a participant in the rally and a former Oklahoma organizer for Identity Evropa, to its city commission. Blevins has faced opposition from the community since taking office in May 2023. Although city commissioners tabled a measure to censure Blevins, citizens collected enough signatures for a recall election in April 2024. Retired pastor and former Republican congressional candidate Wade Burleson is among Blevins' supporters. Blevins lost the recall, by 268 votes.
Militias
Numerous armed, right-wing militia groups were present at the rally, claiming to be there to protect the First Amendment rights of the demonstrators. Groups involved included the Pennsylvania Light Foot Militia, the New York Light Foot Militia, the Virginia Minutemen Militia, and the 3 Percenters.
Counter-protesters
Those who marched in opposition to the rally were unified in opposition to white supremacy, but "espoused a wide array of ideological beliefs, preferred tactics and political goals. A large number were ordinary residents of Charlottesville who wanted to show their disdain for white supremacist groups, particularly after the Ku Klux Klan held a rally in the city on July 8." Ahead of the rally, an array of "faith-based groups, civil rights organizations, local businesses, and faculty and students at the University of Virginia" planned counterprotests. In July 2017, the ecumenical and interfaith clergy group Congregate Charlottesville called for a thousand members of the clergy to counterprotest at the rally. The Charlottesville House of Prayer also gathered at the site to pray. Groups counterprotesting included representatives from the National Council of Churches, Black Lives Matter, Anti-Racist Action, the Democratic Socialists of America, the Workers World Party, the Revolutionary Communist Party, Refuse Fascism, Redneck Revolt, the Industrial Workers of the World, the Metropolitan Anarchist Coordinating Council, and Showing Up for Racial Justice. Members of the antifa movement were also in attendance. Some counter-protesters came armed.
University and city preparations
The rally was scheduled between the summer and fall terms of the University of Virginia (UVA). On August 4, the university's president, Teresa Sullivan, sent an email to students and faculty, which said, "I urge students and all UVA community members to avoid the August 12 rally and avoid physical confrontation generally. There is a credible risk of violence at this event, and your safety is my foremost concern." The University of Virginia Medical Center canceled all elective surgeries and preemptively activated its emergency response plan. Fearing possible violence, the Virginia Discovery Museum and some downtown businesses closed for the day of the rally.
Virginia Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security Brian Moran said that the state had made a number of security recommendations to the city for the event, including banning weapons and sticks; designating certain parking areas, and blocking traffic for at least 10 blocks. The city did not enact any of these restrictions; city manager Maurice Jones said that city ordinances made it impossible for the city to enact some of the state's suggestions.
Timeline of events
Permits and court case
Organizer Jason Kessler applied for a permit from the City of Charlottesville to hold the event at Lee Park. The week before the event, the city government – including Charlottesville mayor Michael Signer, city council, City Manager Maurice Jones, and Police Chief Al Thomas – said they would approve the permit only if the event was moved to the larger McIntire Park. The city's leaders cited safety concerns and logistical issues associated with holding the event at Lee Park, which is adjacent to the densely populated Downtown Mall. Kessler refused to relocate the rally, but the city overruled him and announced that the rally was to be moved to McIntire Park, a decision praised by the Downtown Business Association of Charlottesville.
Kessler, supported by the Rutherford Institute and the ACLU, sued the City of Charlottesville and Jones on First Amendment grounds in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Virginia. On the evening of August 11, the night before the rally, Judge Glen E. Conrad granted an emergency injunction declaring that the Unite the Right rally could go forward at Lee Park as originally planned. Conrad cited several factors in his decision: that Lee Park was where the Robert E. Lee statue, the primary reason for the rally, was located; that resources would be needed at both parks for both the rally and the counterprotesters; and that the decision to move the rally to McIntire Park was due to the organizers' viewpoints and not the safety of the public. The court's decision was praised by the ACLU.
Signer issued a statement saying: "While the City is disappointed by tonight's ruling, we will abide by the judge's decision. ... Chief Thomas, his team and the hundreds of law enforcement officials in our City will now turn their full attention to protecting the Downtown area during tomorrow's events." Following the rally, on August 17, the executive director of the ACLU announced that "the ACLU will no longer defend hate groups protesting with firearms."
Before the rally, counterprotesters obtained permits to gather at McGuffey Park and Justice Park, both less than one-quarter mile (400 m) from Lee Park. Charlottesville City Council spokeswoman Miriam I. Dickler later stated that counterprotesters did not need permits to protest the rally at Lee Park.
August 11
On the evening of Friday, August 11, a group of white nationalists – variously numbered from "dozens" to "about 250" – gathered for an unannounced (and unsanctioned by the city) march through the University of Virginia's campus. They marched towards the university's Lawn chanting Nazi and white supremacist slogans, including "White lives matter"; "You will not replace us"; and "Jews will not replace us". (The phrase "You will not replace us" has been reported by the Anti-Defamation League to "reflect the white supremacist world view that ... the white race is doomed to extinction by an alleged 'rising tide of color' purportedly controlled and manipulated by Jews".) The Nazi slogan "Blood and Soil" was also used. The group was primarily composed of white men, many of them wielding tiki torches.
At the Rotunda, the group encountered a group of about 30 counterprotesters, mostly UVA students, who had locked arms around a statue of Thomas Jefferson. The white nationalists encircled the smaller group of counterprotesters at the base of the statue, and a brawl ensued. Several people on both sides were reportedly hit with pepper spray, and several people were treated for minor injuries. The white nationalists began swinging and throwing their lit tiki torches amid the chaos. It was several minutes before Virginia State Police came to break up the brawl.
Meanwhile, clergy led a pre-planned ecumenical Christian and interfaith prayer service at St. Paul's Memorial Church on University Avenue in opposition to the Unite the Right rally.
The Cavalier Daily reported, "While waiting for rides at Nameless Field after the march, several of the 'alt-right' protesters hurled antisemitic, homophobic and misogynistic slurs at several reporters and community members asking them questions. One man asking questions was thrown to the ground and surrounded by marchers after a brief physical altercation." Signer condemned the gathering, writing: "When I think of candlelight, I want to think of prayer vigils. Today, in 2017, we are instead seeing a cowardly parade of hatred, bigotry, racism, and intolerance march." UVA president Sullivan at first denied, then later minimized, the university administration's prior knowledge of the impending August 11 torch rally. But subsequent reporting revealed that, throughout the week, university police had been in contact with Identity Evropa leader Eli Mosley about the planned route of the Friday night march through the campus and that university officials had also ignored warnings relayed by their own faculty six hours before the torch rally and under-estimated the threat of violence posed by the alt-right group led by UVA alumnus Spencer. The assaults upon UVA students on the night of August 11 presaged more violence at the Unite the Right rally the next day.
August 12
Protesters and counterprotesters began gathering as early as 8 a.m. at Emancipation Park in anticipation of the rally, which was slated to begin at noon and last until 5 p.m.
White nationalist protesters again chanted white supremacist and Nazi-era slogans. Some waved Confederate flags, and others held posters targeting Jews that read "The Goyim Know" and "the Jewish media is going down". Protesters also shouted racial slurs and "Jew" when Signer was mentioned, and some waved Nazi flags and signs claiming, among other things, that "Jews are Satan's children." Dozens of protesters wore Trump's red "Make America Great Again" campaign hats.
Saturday morning, Sabbath worshippers at synagogue Beth Israel, faced with men in fatigues with semiautomatic rifles across the street, and a call on Nazi web sites to burn their building, felt it prudent to exit the synagogue through a back door, carrying the synagogue's Torah scrolls with them for safekeeping.
Counterprotests began with an interfaith, interracial group of clergy who linked arms, prayed, and sang songs of peace, such as "This Little Light of Mine". Later in the day, counterprotesters chanted slogans including "Kill All Nazis" and "punch a Nazi in the mouth". The armed leftist group Redneck Revolt posted on their website: "To the fascists and all who stand with them, we'll be seeing you in Virginia." Harvard professor Cornel West, who organized some of the counter-demonstrators, said that a group of "20 of us who were standing, many of them clergy, we would have been crushed like cockroaches if it were not for the anarchists and the anti-fascists who approached, over 300, 350 anti-fascists". West stated, "The neofascists had their own ammunition. And this is very important to keep in mind, because the police, for the most part, pulled back."
Virginia allows the open carrying of firearms under state law, and many demonstrators and counter-demonstrators were armed, some with semi-automatic weapons. This presented major challenges for police at the scene. Many of the protesters and counter-protesters carried shields, sticks, and clubs, as well as body armor and helmets. Separately at the rally, Richard W. Preston, the self-identified Imperial Wizard of the Maryland-based Confederate White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, was caught on video shooting a pistol at Corey A. Long, an African-American counter-protester who had been carrying an aerosol can whose spray he'd lit. Preston was later found guilty of firing a weapon within 1,000 feet (300 m) of a school after pleading no contest. Long was charged with misdemeanor assault and disorderly conduct. Long's assault charges were dismissed when the prosecutor, Commonwealth Attorney Joe Platania, could not produce the alleged victim, Harold Crews. Long had struggled over a flagpole wielded by Crews. Platania asked the judge not to impose any active incarceration and said Long was always polite and voluntarily spoke with detectives about the incident. Long was convicted of disorderly conduct and sentenced to 20 days in jail, 340 more days suspended, and 100 hours of community service.
A bystander testified at Long's trial that someone behind him yelled, "Kill the nigger!" regarding Long, and he turned, saw Preston and another man advancing toward Long, with Preston pulling a pistol. He said he feared that Long, who was standing on a low wall, would be killed. He said the shot fired by Preston hit the dirt next to Long's feet.
Beginning in the morning, ahead of the rally's official noon start time, "protesters and counterprotesters faced off, kicking, punching, hurling water bottles at and deploying chemical sprays against one another". An estimated 500 protesters and more than a thousand counterprotesters were on the site. The Associated Press reported that "people threw punches, screamed, set off smoke bombs, hurled water bottles and unleashed chemical sprays"; some engaged in combat while "others darted around, trying to avoid the chaos". At least 14 people were injured in street brawls. Following the rally, four warrants for the arrest of white supremacist Christopher Cantwell were issued after Cantwell was charged by Virginia prosecutors with felonies related to "illegal use of gases, and injury by caustic agent or explosive". Separately, The Hill journalist Taylor Lorenz claimed she was punched by counter-protesters during the violence, while video posted to social media showed a male protester punching a woman as the crowd left Lee Park; both men were arrested the same day. Both later pleaded guilty to misdemeanor assault and battery. Steven Balcaitis, of York, South Carolina, was arrested for assault and battery for choking a counter-protester in an attack that was captured on video. Balcaitis pled guilty to assault and received a 180-day suspended sentence.
U.S. Marine Vasillios Pistolis, a member of the terrorist group Atomwaffen Division, was recorded yelling "White Lives Matter" and "You will not replace us!" with his fellow protesters; he later bragged that he had assaulted a trans woman with a modified version of the Confederate flag containing the Black Sun. He was later court-martialed by the United States Marine Corps for disobeying orders and making false statements in June 2018 and sentenced to a month's confinement and a presumed discharge thereafter.
At 11:00 a.m. on the 12th, the City of Charlottesville declared a state of emergency, citing an "imminent threat of civil disturbance, unrest, potential injury to persons, and destruction of public and personal property". One hour later, Virginia governor Terry McAuliffe declared a state of emergency, stating: "It is now clear that public safety cannot be safeguarded without additional powers, and that the mostly-out-of-state protesters have come to Virginia to endanger our citizens and property. I am disgusted by the hatred, bigotry and violence these protesters have brought to our state."
At 11:22 a.m., before the rally was scheduled to begin, Virginia State Police declared the gathering an unlawful assembly via megaphones, and riot police cleared the scene. Following this, "a hard core of about 100 far-right protesters" moved to McIntire Park about 2 miles (3 km) away, where they gathered to hear speakers who had been scheduled for the "Unite the Right" event.
Related events
Vehicular attack and homicide
Main article: Charlottesville car attackOverview
After the aborted rally, at around 1:45 p.m., James Alex Fields Jr. drove his car into a crowd of counter-protesters, hitting several and slamming into a stopped sedan, which in turn struck a stopped minivan; both were pushed into the crowd. Fields then reversed his car through the crowd and drove off. One person was killed, and 35 others were injured. Police determined the attack was deliberate.
The ramming occurred at a pedestrian mall at Water and Fourth streets, about four blocks from Lee Park (38°01′46.17″N 78°28′46.29″W / 38.0294917°N 78.4795250°W / 38.0294917; -78.4795250). Heather D. Heyer, a 32-year-old paralegal from Charlottesville, was fatally injured in the attack and pronounced dead at the University of Virginia's University Hospital. Video footage recorded at the scene by Brennan Gilmore showed a gray 2010 Dodge Challenger accelerating towards crowds on a pedestrian mall, hitting people and sending them airborne, then reversing at high speed, hitting more people. The moment when the car was driven into the crowd was captured on video by bystanders and in aerial video footage taken by a drone. A photographer present at the scene said the car "plowed into a sedan and then into a minivan. Bodies flew. People were terrified and screaming." Bystanders said it was "definitely a violent attack", according to The Guardian. Of the 35 injured survivors, the University of Virginia Medical Center reported that five were initially in critical condition. By the afternoon of August 14, ten patients had been discharged from the hospital, and the nine remaining patients were in good condition.
Heather Heyer
Heather Danielle Heyer (May 29, 1985 – August 12, 2017) was the only person killed in the attack. She worked as a paralegal at a law firm, and as a bartender and waitress, at the time of the rally. Heyer and a longtime friend of hers had agreed not to protest the rally, because they thought it would be too dangerous, but the night before the protests, Heyer felt compelled to go.
Heyer's mother, Susan Bro, said that she wanted Heather's name to become "a rallying cry for justice and equality and fairness and compassion". Heyer's memorial service was held at Charlottesville's Paramount Theatre on August 16; Heyer's mother spoke to hundreds of mourners, asking them to honor Heyer by acting against injustice and turning "anger into righteous action".
Arrest of James Alex Fields Jr.
Shortly after the collision, James Alex Fields Jr., a 20-year-old from Ohio who reportedly had expressed sympathy for Nazi Germany during his time as a student at Cooper High School in Union, Kentucky, was arrested and charged with second-degree murder.
Fields had been photographed taking part in the rally, holding a shield emblazoned with the logo of Vanguard America, a white supremacist organization. Vanguard America's leaders later stated he was not a member and that "The shields seen do not denote membership" as they were "freely handed out to anyone in attendance". On August 14, Fields was again denied bail. He was held at the Albemarle-Charlottesville County Regional Jail.
National Security Adviser H. R. McMaster and several U.S. senators described the alleged ramming attack as an act of domestic terrorism, as did various commentators. Late on the night of August 12, U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions said the U.S. Department of Justice would open a civil rights investigation into the incident; federal investigators would investigate whether the suspect "crossed state lines with the intent to commit violence". Later, Sessions said the ramming met the definition of 'domestic terrorism' and that it was "an unacceptable, evil attack".
Separate GoFundMe pages were set up for the Heyer family and for those injured in the crash; the latter was organized by the Anchorage co-chairman of the Democratic Socialists of America. The UVA Health Foundation created a fund for medical expenses of "patients at UVA Medical Center and Sentara Martha Jefferson Hospital who were injured and impacted by this unwanted violence in our community".
Two motorists injured in the vehicle incident have sued the organizers of the event and the driver.
Trial, conviction and sentencing
Fields was charged with second-degree murder, three counts of malicious wounding and failure to stop following an accident resulting in death, and held without bail. On August 18, 2017, Fields was charged with three additional counts of aggravated malicious wounding and two additional counts of malicious wounding. The murder charge was changed to first-degree murder on December 14, 2017. Footage introduced as new evidence for elevating the charges included a video from the Red Pump Kitchen (an Italian restaurant) on the northeast corner of 4th and Main and aerial footage from a Virginia State Police helicopter. Both videos were sealed by the lead prosecutor. The helicopter footage was from the same helicopter that later crashed.
On June 27, 2018, Fields was charged with multiple federal hate crimes, including one act which led to the death of Heather Heyer, and 28 counts of hate crimes "causing bodily injury and involving an attempt to kill" referring to the dozens of others injured during the attack.
Fields' trial in Virginia state court lasted two weeks. At trial, Fields did not dispute that he drove the car, but claimed that he acted out of fear and lacked the intent to kill. Video footage and eyewitness testimony showed that Fields was not under attack before he rammed his car into a crowd. Other evidence introduced at trial included a text message exchange the day before the rally, in which Fields' mother wrote to him "Be careful" and Fields responded with a picture of Adolf Hitler and the message "We're not the one who have to be careful." Prosecutors also played a jailhouse phone recording of Fields after the attack, in which Fields called the slain woman's mother "a communist" and "anti-white liberal".
On December 7, 2018, Fields was found guilty of first-degree murder and nine other counts. Four days later, the jury recommended to the trial judge a sentence of life in prison plus 419 years, as well as thousands of dollars in fines; the judge accepted the jury's recommendation. The formal sentencing was scheduled to take place in March 2019, at which time the judge could impose a weaker sentence, but not a stronger one.
On March 27, 2019, Fields pleaded guilty to 29 federal crimes (out of 30 in the original federal indictment) in exchange for federal prosecutors' agreement not to seek the death penalty.
He was sentenced to life in prison on the federal charges on June 28, 2019 and given another life sentence on July 15, 2019.
Assault of DeAndre Harris
Main article: Assault of DeAndre HarrisTwenty-year-old DeAndre Harris, a former special education instruction assistant from Charlottesville, was beaten in a parking garage after intervening swinging a flashlight in a struggle between Corey Long and white supremacists, an assault that was captured by photographers and video footage. Subsequent footage showed a group of six men beating Harris with poles, a metal pipe, and wooden slabs, as Harris attempted to get off the ground. He received a head laceration requiring stitches, a concussion, a knee injury, a fractured wrist, and a spinal injury. The attack was investigated by Charlottesville police, with help from the Virginia State Police and the FBI. Four men were arrested and charged with malicious wounding, a felony, in connection with the attack on Harris. Two of them, Alex Michael Ramos of Georgia, who received six years, and Jacob Scott Goodwin of Arkansas who had worn a military helmet and full-length body shield while kicking Harris on the ground, who got eight years, were convicted following jury trials in Charlottesville. Daniel Borden, of Ohio, was sentenced to nearly four years. The fourth assailant, Tyler Watkins Davis, who had struck Harris once with a flagpole and gashed his scalp badly, was sentenced to 23 months in jail. Two other assailants had not been identified, though there was video and photographs of both. Police named one "Red Beard" and the other "Preppy".
The charge against Harris arose from the claim of Harold Crews, the state chairman of the League of the South, that Harris had attacked him. In March 2018, a judge acquitted Harris, finding that while Crews was trying to retain a Confederate flag being grabbed by another black counterprotester, Harris had believed Crews was spearing the man with the flagpole, prompting Harris to act in defense of his friend.
Fatal helicopter crash
Around 4:40 p.m. on August 12, a Bell 407 helicopter (N31VA) owned by the Virginia State Police crashed 7 miles (11 km) southwest of Charlottesville-Albemarle Airport, killing two Virginia state troopers who were on board. Lieutenant H. Jay Cullen, 48, of Midlothian, Virginia, and Trooper-Pilot Berke M. M. Bates, 40, of Quinton, Virginia, were on the way to assist with security and public safety in the city. The crash was investigated by the Federal Aviation Administration, National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), and Virginia State Police. The final report released in July 2020 determined that the helicopter crashed because the pilot lost control after entering a vortex ring state.
Foreign interference
Citing an FBI source, Virginia Representative Tom Garrett has stated that racial divisions fomented by Russian agents contributed to violence at the rally.
Reactions
Criticism of the police's handling of the rally
ACLU's criticism, ProPublica report, and officials' response
In the aftermath of the rally and the car ramming, some criticized the police handling of the rally. Claire Gastañaga, executive director of the Virginia ACLU, wrote that "The situation that occurred was preventable" and the ACLU's lawsuit, which resulted in a federal court granting an injunction allowing the rally to go forward at Lee Park, "did not cause it". Gastañaga wrote that: "The lack of any physical separation of the protesters and counterprotesters on the street was contributing to the potential of violence. did not respond. In fact, law enforcement was standing passively by, waiting for violence to take place, so that they would have grounds to declare an emergency, declare an 'unlawful assembly' and clear the area."
On August 12, investigative news organization ProPublica published an article reporting that Virginia State Police troopers and Charlottesville police "wearing protective gear watched silently from behind an array of metal barricades" and allowed "white supremacists and counterprotesters to physically battle" without intervening. A. C. Thompson wrote that in "one of countless such confrontations", police watched passively as "an angry mob of white supremacists formed a battle line across from a group of counterprotesters, many of them older and gray-haired, who had gathered near a church parking lot. On command from their leader, the young men charged and pummeled their ideological foes with abandon. One woman was hurled to the pavement, and the blood from her bruised head was instantly visible."
Virginia officials defended the police actions. Governor Terry McAuliffe said police did a "magnificent job" and, "We were unfortunately sued by the ACLU, and the judge ruled against us. That rally should not have been in the middle of downtown: to disperse all those people from the park where they dispersed all over the city streets and it became a powder keg. We have to do a better job working with the judiciary. They need to listen to local city officials. ... I am angry that this was not moved to McIntire Park where the city of Charlottesville requested."
Charlottesville Police Chief Al Thomas said that while he had "regrets" about planning, police officers had attempted to separate protesters and counterprotesters but were unable to effectively do so, in part because "Unite the Right" participants had failed to follow a previously agreed-upon plan for entering Lee Park: "We had a plan to bring them in at the rear of the park. They had agreed to cooperate with the plan; unfortunately they did not follow the plan. They began entering at different locations in and around the park." Thomas also wrote: "They also chose to leave the park on a number of occasions, entering the area designated for counterprotesters, walking along the street and confronting counter-protestors." Thomas denied the implications by the Virginia ACLU that police were ordered not to intervene or make arrests, saying "There were no directives from me or any other commander to stand down or disengage" and that "there were a number of altercations throughout the area in which officers intervened".
Heaphy report
Following the rally and criticism of the police's handling of it, the City of Charlottesville hired Timothy J. Heaphy, the former U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Virginia, to undertake an independent review of the "Unite the Right" rally and two other supremacist events in the city. City officials also "urged residents to come forward with firsthand accounts of crimes that went ignored".
On December 1, 2017, Heaphy and his law firm Hunton & Williams LLP released the final report of their independent review. The detailed report was sharply critical of the city's handling of the rally. The report found that the Charlottesville Police Department had failed to adequately prepare for its events, had a flawed plan of response, and was not properly trained. The report also criticized actions by the Charlottesville City Council, attorneys from the city and state, the University of Virginia and the Virginia State Police. The report specifically found that:
- Law enforcement failed to break up fights or take an active role in preventing fights and were instructed not to intervene except in cases of "extreme violence". This decision represented "a tremendous tactical failure that has real and lasting consequences". Police supervisors "devised a poorly conceived plan that under-equipped and misaligned hundreds of officers. Execution of that plan elevated officer safety over public safety."
- Charlottesville police and Virginia State Police failed to operate under a unified command and did not even use the same radio channel.
- University of Virginia officials were aware of plans for a torchlit rally by white nationalists but "took no action to enforce separation between groups or otherwise prevent violence".
Responses by organizers and alt-right personalities
On the afternoon of August 13, Unite the Right organizer Jason Kessler attempted to hold a press conference in front of Charlottesville City Hall, but was forced to abandon the conference after being attacked by an angry crowd. One man reportedly either punched or attempted to punch Kessler, and a woman tackled Kessler as he was trying to leave the scene. Police came to Kessler's aid and escorted him from the area. Hundreds of people shouted "shame" at Kessler and "say her name" (referring to Heather Heyer, the woman killed the day before). Before ending the short news conference Kessler stated: "I disavow any political violence and what happened yesterday was tragic." He later posted videos online in which he blamed the city for the violence and death. One man was charged with misdemeanor assault and battery for allegedly spitting on Kessler during the news conference.
Speaking in an interview on the morning of the rally, former Ku Klux Klan Grand Wizard David Duke called the protests "a turning point for the people of this country. We are determined to take our country back. We're going to fulfill the promises of Donald Trump. That's why we voted for Donald Trump, because he said he's going to take our country back." Following Trump's initial comments made three days after the rally, Duke tweeted, "Thank you President Trump for your honesty & courage to tell the truth about #Charlottesville & condemn the leftist terrorists in BLM/Antifa." The Daily Stormer wrote of Trump's response, "He didn't attack us.... No condemnation at all. When asked to condemn, he just walked out of the room. Really, really good. God bless him."
Spencer, who was scheduled to speak at the Unite the Right event, said he was not responsible for the violence, and he blamed counterprotesters and police.
On August 17, White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon, former editor of Breitbart News, the "platform for the alt-right", made an unsolicited call to the editor of The American Prospect. When the editor asked him about the "ugly white nationalism epitomized by the racist violence in Charlottesville and Trump's reluctance to condemn it," Bannon said that ethno-nationalists were losers and a fringe element played up too much by the media.
Vigils and protests
Counterprotests in Washington, D.C., Cambridge, Massachusetts, and Berlin, Germany (top-to-bottom)On August 13, the day following the rally, many groups organized vigils and demonstrations in a number of cities across the country and abroad with a variety of goals, including showing support for those against white supremacy, pushing for the removal of Confederate monuments, and denouncing fascism and actions and statements by the president of the United States.
In Brooklyn, demonstrators at the "Peace and Sanity" rally heard addresses by Public Advocate Letitia James and City Comptroller Scott Stringer. In Los Angeles, hundreds gathered on the steps of City Hall to condemn white-nationalist violence and honor those killed.
Thousands of anti-Trump protesters marched around Trump Tower, with many shouting "Shame, shame, shame!" and "Lock Him Up!". In response, pro-Trump counterprotesters waved American flags and yelled "Make America White Again" at protesters, a play on the Trump campaign slogan Make America great again.
Confrontations at the park continued on Tuesday, August 15, with counter-protesters demanding that a North Carolina man in Confederate uniform holding a Confederate flag and semi-automatic rifle leave the park. When police asked him if he would like to leave, he said he would and was escorted to his vehicle.
Online responses
Domain registrar GoDaddy demanded that The Daily Stormer move its website's domain to another provider after editor Andrew Anglin described the car-ramming victim in derogatory terms. The Daily Stormer then moved to Google Domains on August 14. Google canceled the site's registration for violation of its terms of service just over 3 hours after The Daily Stormer registered for the service.
PayPal suspended accounts of the right-wing extremist groups run by several of the rally organizers for violating the website's terms of service, which forbid raising money for "activities that promote hate, violence or racial intolerance".
Hacktivist collective Anonymous shut down numerous websites associated with the Ku Klux Klan and neo-Nazi groups following the protests. Alt-right website Red Ice TV was also hacked. In a video statement, they claimed that their coverage and support of the rally was the cause of the cyberattack. A Discord server frequented by alt-right elements was also taken down.
Before the suspect in the vehicular ramming on August 12 was revealed, an online campaign by far-right outlets to identify the driver of the car had been conducted. CNN reported that this was "seemingly in hopes of proving the person was not of a right-wing political persuasion" and of blaming a liberal for the attack. The far-right news website GotNews and various other outlets misidentified an innocent man as the driver. That man and his family received numerous death threats and were advised by local police to temporarily leave their home. The family sued GotNews and its editor, Charles C. Johnson, for defamation; in 2018 Johnson and the website agreed to pay the misidentified men nearly $30,000 (~$36,401 in 2023) to settle the suit. The suit continues against other "alt-right" figures who promoted the false claims.
On Twitter, a group of users identified white nationalist or supremacist marchers from photographs, publicizing at least nine names and identities. After being identified as a demonstrator at the rally, one individual resigned from his job at a hot dog stand in Berkeley, California. One such individual who remains in online far-right circles as of 2020 is Matthew Colligan, a Boston resident, friend of Baked Alaska, and promoter of the "Hitler did nothing wrong" meme.
The public shaming reportedly resulted in at least one case of mistaken identity: a University of Arkansas engineering professor was mistakenly identified as being at the rally and subsequently received threatening messages from Twitter users.
Don't Be a Sucker (1943), a short film made by the United States War Department during World War II, found a new audience for its anti-racist and anti-fascist themes. It was posted repeatedly as a viral online video.
According to journalist Angela Nagle, the Internet troll subculture on websites like 4chan and Tumblr changed as a result of the rally. Many who had seen the subculture as a game confronted the reality of other users' alt-right beliefs.
In a study published for the Journal of Public Policy & Marketing, Legocki, Walker and Kiesler (2020) found that over the 18 days following the rally, many social media users acted as "de facto police", using social media to voice concerns and demand action. In the absence of a police presence on Twitter, users directed their messages to Charlottesville City Hall and other agencies, including the FBI, to push for accountability. Concerned citizens around the world turned to Twitter to hold authorities accountable, believing the police had failed to act.
President Trump's response
Trump first responded to the torchlight parade on Friday night and the demonstrations on Saturday morning at 1:19 pm on Saturday, August 12, when he tweeted that "e ALL must be united & condemn all that hate stands for." At a previously scheduled bill-signing ceremony two hours after the 1:45 pm vehicular attack, he gave a four-minute statement condemning the "display of hatred, bigotry, and violence on many sides". His remarks were criticized by the news media as well as political allies and opponents as insufficient and too vague. On August 14, he read a statement denouncing the "K.K.K., neo-Nazis, white supremacists and other hate groups ... repugnant to everything we hold dear as Americans" without taking any questions afterwards.
First statements
Trump did not respond to the torchlight parade on Friday night or the demonstrations on Saturday morning until 1:19 pm on Saturday, August 12, when he tweeted, "We ALL must be united & condemn all that hate stands for. There is no place for this kind of violence in America. Lets come together as one!"
At the bill-signing ceremony, Trump said that "we condemn in the strongest possible terms this egregious display of hatred, bigotry and violence on many sides, on many sides". He added that it had been "going on for a long time in our country. Not Donald Trump, not Barack Obama. A long, long time" and that "a swift restoration of law and order" was now vital.
A statement attributed to an unnamed White House spokesperson was released the next day, asserting that "The President said very strongly in his statement yesterday that he condemns all forms of violence, bigotry, and hatred. Of course that includes white supremacists, KKK, Neo-Nazi and all extremist groups. He called for national unity and bringing all Americans together."
Reactions to first statements
Trump's "many sides" comment was criticized as insufficient and unspecific enough to allow different interpretations. The New York Times wrote that Trump "was the only national political figure to spread blame for the 'hatred, bigotry and violence' that resulted in the death of one person to 'many sides'."
The Congressional Black Caucus decried what it saw as Trump's false equivalency and dog-whistle politics, saying "White supremacy is to blame." Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring said: "The violence, chaos, and apparent loss of life in Charlottesville is not the fault of 'many sides.' It is racists and white supremacists." Leaders of four congressional minority caucuses called on Trump to fire Bannon as well as Senior Advisor to the President Stephen Miller because of Miller's alleged white nationalist ties.
Democratic members of Congress, including Senator Brian Schatz and House Representatives Adam Schiff and Bill Pascrell, as well as some Republican members, criticized Trump's failure to name white nationalists. Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT), whose brother was killed in action in Europe during World War II, tweeted: "We should call evil by its name. My brother didn't give his life fighting Hitler for Nazi ideas to go unchallenged here at home." Republican representative Justin Amash and senators Cory Gardner, Jeff Flake, Marco Rubio, and Ted Cruz called upon Trump to specifically condemn white supremacists and neo-Nazis.
The NAACP released a statement saying that blatant racism and race-based hatred were on display at the rally and, while they acknowledged and appreciated Trump's "disavowment of the hatred which has resulted in a loss of life today", they called on him to remove Bannon, "a well-known white supremacist leader" and "symbol of white nationalism", as an adviser. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, Democratic U.S. Representative Ted Lieu, former federal government lawyers Vanita Gupta and Richard Painter, and others also called for Bannon's firing.
Former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke said that Trump should "take a good look in the mirror & remember it was White Americans who put you in the presidency, not radical leftists." Other white supremacists and neo-Nazis did not object to Trump's remarks. Daily Stormer editor Andrew Anglin said "Trump did the opposite of cuck. He refused to even mention anything to do with us. When reporters were screaming at him about White Nationalism he just walked out of the room."
Second statement
After the backlash for his remarks, Trump read a statement from a teleprompter two days later at the White House. He said that "anyone who acted criminally in this weekend's racist violence, you will be held fully accountable." and that "acism is evil. And those who cause violence in its name are criminals and thugs, including the K.K.K., neo-Nazis, white supremacists and other hate groups that are repugnant to everything we hold dear as Americans."
Trump had traveled to Washington for matters involving trade with China. He reportedly was reluctant to issue this statement, believing his initial statement to be adequate, but White House Chief of Staff John F. Kelly persuaded him.
Reactions to second statement
The Los Angeles Times's editorial board wrote that "Trump's first response to Charlottesville was tepid and mealy mouthed. His second was too late." South Carolina Senator Tim Scott (one of three African Americans serving in the U.S. Senate, and the only Republican among the three), also said the second statement came too late. NAACP president Cornell William Brooks said Trump's second statement stuck to a "rhetorical minimum" of a condemnation and "gave the impression that the President was trying to have his hate cake and eat it too".
Richard Spencer, neo-Nazi activist dismissed Trump's second statement as "hollow", and he also said that he believed that Trump had not denounced either the alt-right movement or white nationalism.
Third statement
On August 15, Trump appeared before news media at Trump Tower, New York City, to read prepared remarks on the U.S. infrastructure discussion and other economic issues. After reading the statement, Trump took questions from reporters who asked mostly about the Charlottesville events. Trump defended his August 12 statement and repeated his claim that there was "blame on both sides". He also defended White House advisor Steve Bannon, and accused the media of unfair treatment of the rally's participants. Trump said: "Not all of those people were neo-Nazis, believe me. Not all of those people were white supremacists by any stretch", adding in a later response that he believed there were "very fine people on both sides" and "I'm not talking about the neo-Nazis and the white nationalists, because they should be condemned totally". Trump also said that the push to remove Confederate statues was "changing history" and "changing culture".
An extended extract of Trump's remarks, with context, is given below:
TRUMP: ... you had some very bad people in that group, but you also had people that were very fine people, on both sides. You had people in that group ... that were there to protest the taking down of, to them, a very, very important statue and the renaming of a park from Robert E. Lee to another name.
REPORTER: George Washington and Robert E. Lee are not the same.
TRUMP: George Washington was a slave owner. So will George Washington now lose his status? Are we going to take down statues to George Washington? How about Thomas Jefferson? What do you think of Thomas Jefferson? You like him?
REPORTER: I do love Thomas Jefferson.
TRUMP: Okay, good. Are we going to take down the statue? Because he was a major slave owner. Now, are we going to take down his statue? So you know what, it's fine. You're changing history. You're changing culture. And you had people—and I'm not talking about the neo-Nazis and the white nationalists, because they should be condemned totally—but you had many people in that group other than neo-Nazis and white nationalists.
Trump criticized what he called the "very, very violent alt-left", and falsely stated that counter-demonstrators lacked a permit. A municipal spokeswoman said that the counter-protesters did have a permit for two other nearby parks and "counterprotesters did not need permits to protest that rally" in Lee Park.
Trump's remarks also indicated that he had watched the "tiki torch march" that moved through the University of Virginia to Robert E. Lee's statue on August 11, the night before the rally. He stated that there "were people protesting very quietly the taking down of the statue of Robert E. Lee. ... You had a lot of people in that group that were there to innocently protest, and very legally protest – because I don't know if you know, they had a permit", falsely claiming that "he other group didn't have a permit."
Reactions to third statement
In an interview published the next day, Bannon said the press conference was a "defining moment" and that Trump chose to jettison the "globalists" and align himself with "his people". He said he was "proud of how stood up to the braying mob of reporters".
More than 60 Democratic and Republican members of the U.S. House of Representatives and the United States Senate condemned Trump's remarks. Among those were Senators Bernie Sanders, John McCain, Tim Scott, Susan Collins, Chuck Schumer, Cory Booker, Elizabeth Warren, Jeff Flake, Orrin Hatch, Heidi Heitkamp, Claire McCaskill, Joe Manchin, Dean Heller and Tammy Duckworth, and House members Robert C. "Bobby" Scott, Don Beyer, Barbara Comstock, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Will Hurd and Gerry Connolly, as well as Ohio Governor John Kasich and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said, "The president's continued talk of blame 'on many sides' ignores the abhorrent evil of white supremacism ..." Speaker of the House Paul Ryan stated, "We must be clear. White supremacy is repulsive. This bigotry is counter to all this country stands for. There can be no moral ambiguity."
Former presidents George H. W. Bush and George W. Bush stated that, "America must always reject racial bigotry, anti-Semitism, and hatred in all forms. As we pray for Charlottesville, we are reminded of the fundamental truths recorded by that city's most prominent citizen in the Declaration of Independence: we are all created equal and endowed by our Creator with unalienable rights. We know these truths to be everlasting because we have seen the decency and greatness of our country."
On August 16, Representatives Jerrold Nadler of New York, Pramila Jayapal of Washington state and Bonnie Watson Coleman of New Jersey unveiled a resolution that the three House Democrats co-authored, which would censure Trump for his "inadequate response to the violence", his "failure to immediately and specifically name and condemn the white supremacist groups responsible for actions of domestic terrorism", and for employing chief strategist Steve Bannon and national security aide Sebastian Gorka despite their "ties to white supremacist movements".
Criticism of the comments also extended to the corporate world; among others, 21st Century Fox CEO James Murdoch said in an email to friends that was obtained by The Hollywood Reporter, "hat we watched this last week in Charlottesville and the reaction to it by the president of the United States concern all of us as Americans and free people. These events remind us all why vigilance against hate and bigotry is an eternal obligation – a necessary discipline for the preservation of our way of life and our ideals." Murdoch also pledged a $1 million donation to the Anti-Defamation League, urging his friends to also make contributions. (Murdoch's statement drew some criticism from media columnists, including The Washington Post's Jennifer Rubin and Erik Wemple, who have accused Fox News Channel for helping bring Trump to the political mainstream and its repeated defense of his administration as well as perpetuating a culture of exploiting female employees and using dog-whistle commentary on its opinion programs.)
The fallout from the third statement led to renewed calls for Trump to resign or be removed from office through either impeachment or through invocation of Section 4 of the 25th Amendment to the Constitution. In an August 15 Twitter post, Democratic House Representative Jackie Speier of California suggested that the never-before-used section of the 25th Amendment (which allows the vice president and either a majority of the cabinet or another body such as Congress to declare that a president is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office) be invoked to remove Trump. On August 22, in an interview with Matt Lauer on the Today Show, Vice President Mike Pence passionately endorsed Trump, saying in part:
I know this president. I know his heart ... I heard it. I heard him on the day that the Charlottesville tragedy happened when he denounced hate and violence in all of its forms from wherever it comes. I heard him on that Monday, and I heard him as well on Tuesday like millions of Americans did where he condemned the hate and the bigotry that was evidenced there. He condemned the violence that was there and we'll continue to do that. We understand that criticism comes with this job, and this president has the kind of broad shoulders to be able to take it.
Democratic Rep. Steve Cohen of Tennessee announced on August 17, that he would introduce articles of impeachment against Trump for his remarks in the press conference, stating that Trump had "failed the presidential test of moral leadership". Arnold Schwarzenegger made an online video criticizing Trump's statement and presented a speech condemning the racists and stating Trump should've said something like that.
In an August 18 interview with ABC's Good Morning America, Heather Heyer's mother, Susan Bro, stated that she has not "and now ... will not" meet with Trump after hearing about his statement. Bro said, "I'm not talking to the president now. I'm sorry, after what he said about my child. It's not that I saw somebody else's tweets about him. I saw an actual clip of him at a press conference equating the protesters, like Ms. Heyer, with the KKK and the white supremacists."
The fallout from this statement also led to renewed calls for Trump to be stripped of honors he won before his presidency. Before the SummerSlam event that weekend, protesters outside the Barclays Center called for Trump's removal from the WWE Hall of Fame. Additionally, a petition to revoke Trump of an honorary law degree from Lehigh University by a recent graduate went viral following his comments, gaining more than 25,000 signatures. Trump was previously stripped of an honorary degree from Scotland's Robert Gordon University in 2015. If he loses his degree from Lehigh, Trump will only have three honorary degrees remaining; two from Liberty University and one from Wagner College. A number of alumni of Liberty University announced their intentions to return their diplomas to the university in response to university president Jerry Falwell, Jr.'s continued support of Trump.
In the days following Trump's August 15 statement, the magazines The Economist, The New Yorker, and Der Spiegel ran cover art depicting Trump wearing or interacting with a KKK hood.
Additional controversy resulted from a Facebook post by Missouri State Sen. Maria Chappelle-Nadal in which she commented, "I hope Trump is assassinated!" in response to the president's comments. In apologizing for the remark, Chapple-Nadal said to The Kansas City Star that she posted the comment in frustration at the "trauma and despair" of Trump's statements about the Charlottesville rally. The post, which she deleted shortly after posting it but not before it was circulated online, led several state and national politicians, including U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill and House Representative Lacy Clay, to call for her resignation; State Rep. Joshua Peters also submitted a letter to State Senate President pro tempore Tom Dempsey (chairman of the Missouri Rules, Joint Rules, Resolutions and Ethics Committee) requesting that a special committee consider Chappelle-Nadal's "censure or removal" from office. Missouri State Sen. Gina Walsh (leader of the state's Senate Democratic Caucus) announced on August 22 that Chapple-Nadal had been removed from all committee assignments, commenting that the controversy had made her a "distraction" to senators.
Later statements
Trump defended his previous statements at a Phoenix, Arizona, rally on August 22, 2017. He did not mention that he had said in his first statement that "many sides" were responsible for the violence at the rally and accused people of "trying to take away our culture" and "trying to take away our history" in reference to the removal of the Confederate statues. Following criticisms from former vice president Joe Biden in a video announcing that he was entering the 2020 presidential race, Trump was asked by journalists in April 2019 to clarify his remark that there were "very fine people" on both sides of the protests at the rally. He responded that he had "answered that question, and if you look at what I said, you will see that question was answered perfectly" and that he "was talking about people that went because they felt very strongly about the monument to Robert E. Lee, a great general."
Resignations from and dissolution of presidential advisory councils
Kenneth Frazier, the CEO of Merck, resigned from the President's American Manufacturing Council on August 14, in reaction to the President's response to the rally. Trump quickly responded by attacking Frazier on Twitter. Frazier received widespread support from major figures in politics, media and business, and commentator Keith Boykin said that "It took Trump 54 minutes to condemn ... Frazier" but "two days of issuing equivocal statements" before denouncing the neo-Nazis and white supremacists who marched in Charlottesville. Under Armour founder and CEO Kevin Plank and Intel chief executive Brian Krzanich also resigned from the council that same day, followed by the resignations of AFL–CIO president Richard Trumka, economist and former AFL–CIO deputy chief of staff Thea Lee, and Alliance for American Manufacturing president Scott Paul on August 15. The following morning, two more CEOs – Denise Morrison of Campbell Soup and Inge Thulin of 3M – announced that they would resign from American Manufacturing Council. Wal-Mart CEO Doug McMillon also directly criticized Trump's leadership, saying Trump "missed a critical opportunity to help bring our country together".
On August 16, after the members of the advisory councils moved to disband, Trump dissolved both councils. Stanford Graduate School of Business professor Anat R. Admati said that Trump's equivocations on white nationalist groups had "put them in a very difficult position" and caused critical damage to the president's relationship with corporate leaders.
Sixteen of the 17 members of the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities resigned on August 18, in protest of Trump's response to the rally. The resigning members stated in a letter to the President, "Reproach and censure in the strongest possible terms are necessary following your support of the hate groups and terrorists who killed and injured fellow Americans in Charlottesville." Representatives for the sole remaining member, film director George C. Wolfe, stated that he, too, would be resigning and would add his name to the letter. The White House responded by saying a decision had previously been made not to renew the committee after it expired later in 2017.
In late August, eight of the 28 members of the National Infrastructure Advisory Council resigned, stating in a joint letter that Trump "threatened the security of the homeland". The letter cited Trump's response to the Charlottesville rally as one of the reasons for leaving.
Defenses of Trump and rebuttal
Several conservative commentators argued that Trump was being unjustly criticized by the media and left-wing political figures for him blaming both sides. Some critics argued that members of the media were excusing the violence from activists associated with antifa, a loosely affiliated group of far-left protesters. Jonah Goldberg wrote that the presence of the alt-right did not excuse antifa from its policies that "oppose free speech, celebrate violence, despise dissent and have little use for anything else in the American political tradition". Journalists Paul Waldman and Peter Beinart criticized this argument as an ineffective tactic to defend Trump and it also stated that none of the violence from the counter-protesters justified any moral equivalency between the two sides at the rally. Beinart wrote that unlike the alt-right, antifa are not practitioners of an ideology that advocates the ethnic cleansing of other racial and religious groups nor do they "celebrate regimes that committed genocide and enforced slavery", and antifa promotes egalitarianism unlike the alt-right.
Ray Arsenault of the Tampa Bay Times wrote that although there were some violent members among their ranks, the counter-protesters were mostly made up of "peaceful activists committed to nonviolence", including several clergymen and Black Lives Matter activists. Linda Qiu of The New York Times mentioned that although both sides were violent that day, only one side—the alt-right—was responsible for a deadly act of domestic terrorism. Jonathan Tobin of The Times of Israel mentioned that the explicit presence of Nazi and Ku Klux Klan imagery from the white supremacists and Fields' attack "render irrelevant" antifa presence at the rally. Beinart and Qiu also both wrote that right-wing terrorism was far more common than left-wing terrorism.
Public opinion on Trump's response
Public opinion polls showed that reactions to Trump's response were overwhelmingly negative, receiving near universal disapproval from Democrats and only modest support from Republicans. A Washington Post/ABC News national poll of American adults taken in the aftermath of the rally showed that 56% disapproved of Trump's response to the violence in Charlottesville, while only 28% approved. The same survey showed that 83% of Americans said that holding neo-Nazi or white supremacist views is unacceptable, while 9% said holding such views was acceptable.
A Marist Poll of American adults showed that 52% believed that Trump's response to the violence in Charlottesville was "not strong enough". The same poll showed that 4% of Americans said they agreed with the beliefs of white nationalists, with 73% saying they disagreed, 7% having no opinion, and 15% unsure. The poll also showed that 67% believed that the fatal crash should be "investigated as an act of domestic terrorism", while 21% said it should not, and 12% were unsure.
A CBS News poll of American adults indicated that 55% of respondents disapproved of Trump's response, while 33% approved. A roughly similar split indicated that respondents found Trump's description of events to be inaccurate.
An Economist/YouGov poll of Americans showed that 42% of respondents disapproved of Trump's handling of "the situation in Charlottesville", while 27% approved and 31% had no opinion. When asked "which group ... is more likely to use violence"; 32% of respondents said white nationalists, 10% said anti-racism protesters, and 45% said "both equally likely", while 14% were unsure; Democrats were more likely to attribute violence to white nationalists, while Republicans were most likely to blame both sides equally.
A Siena College poll showed that 50% of New York residents gave Trump an "F" for his response to the violence.
Efforts by Trump and his supporters to rewrite the history of the rally
According to analyses in the Washington Post in 2020, Trump and his supporters attempted to distort and rewrite the history of the rally, continuing to claim falsely that there were peaceful elements to the right-wing protest. Fact-checkers emphasized that the rally-goers consisted solely of neo-Nazis and white supremacists, and that "virtually anyone watching cable news coverage or looking at the pictures of the event would know that".
In 2024, Trump downplayed the rally as a "peanut" compared to the ongoing pro-Palestinian campus protests.
Responses by other politicians
The day after the rally, Virginia Governor McAuliffe said at a press conference that he had a message for "all the white supremacists and the Nazis who came into Charlottesville today. Our message is plain and simple. Go home ... You are not wanted in this great commonwealth. Shame on you." Signer said he was disgusted that white supremacists came to his town and he faulted Trump for inflaming racial tensions during his 2016 campaign.
Atlanta mayor Kasim Reed called for city flags to be flown at half-staff, and indicated he favors renaming Confederate Avenue.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel called the violence "horrifying" and "evil" and said: "It is racist, far-right violence and clear, forceful action must be taken against it, regardless of where in the world it happens." German Justice Minister Heiko Maas similarly condemned the violence, antisemitism, and racism of the neo-Nazis at the rally.
The Republican National Committee issued a statement saying it was "unified in revulsion at the abhorrent white supremacists demonstration in Charlottesville ... We urge swift and certain justice be meted out to domestic terrorists and groups aiding and abetting through the propagation of hateful ideology."
Former presidents George H. W. Bush and George W. Bush condemned the rally in a joint statement, saying that "America must always reject racial bigotry, anti-Semitism, and hatred in all forms".
On April 25, 2019, former vice president Joe Biden launched his presidential campaign with a video condemning the events of Charlottesville and Trump's response to it, arguing that "with those words, the President of the United States assigned a moral equivalence between those spreading hate and those with the courage to stand against it, and at that moment, I knew the threat to this nation was unlike any I had ever seen in my lifetime."
Religious responses
The General Secretary of the World Council of Churches, Olav Fykse Tveit, stated, "Terror and violence against peaceful people seeking justice in Charlottesville must be condemned by all ... We are proud of moral leadership by clergy and lay people standing against this promotion of racism and white supremacy."
The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), the United Methodist Church, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, and the Orthodox Church in America, all of which are members of the World Council of Churches, each individually condemned the Unite the Right rally and the racist ideology behind it, as did the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the Catholic Church.
The Rabbinical Council of America, Rabbinical Assembly and United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism, and Union for Reform Judaism – representing American Orthodox, Conservative, and Reform Jews, respectively – all strongly condemned the white supremacist and neo-Nazi violence in Charlottesville. Alan Zimmerman, president of Congregation Beth Israel in Charlottesville, recalled the day's events in a blog post: "The fact that a calamity did not befall the Jewish community of Charlottesville on Saturday was not thanks to our politicians, our police, or even our own efforts, but to the grace of God. ... And yet, in the midst of all that, other moments stand out for me, as well. ... At least a dozen complete strangers stopped by the synagogue Saturday to ask if we wanted them to stand with us."
Academic responses
University of Virginia Center for Politics director Larry J. Sabato, who witnessed the torchlit rally on August 11, said that the weekend was among the university's darkest days and that he hoped that "people will put it into context and understand that we had no control over the individuals organizing it, nor the people who showed up. ... What I saw was pure evil."
According to Princeton University historian Kevin M. Kruse, there is a historical "false equivalency" precedent to blaming "both sides" in disputes over race relations. Kruse notes that segregationist politicians often equated white supremacists with the civil rights movement, condemning both the KKK and the NAACP. Various historians also questioned Trump's suggestion that the individuals calling for the removal of Confederate monuments would next demand the removal of figures like George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. Harvard historian Annette Gordon-Reed and others noted that Washington and Jefferson were imperfect men who are notable for creating the United States, whereas the sole historical significance of Confederate figures such as Robert E. Lee and Jefferson Davis is that they went to war against the United States to defend "the right of people to own other people".
Other historians noted that some wanted the Confederate monuments moved to museums where the monuments could be appropriately contextualized. Douglas A. Blackmon, senior fellow at the University of Virginia's Miller Center of Public Affairs and author of a book on slavery and its aftermath in the U.S. told The Washington Post: "Trump either does not understand the history of the Confederacy or he's sympathetic to white nationalist views. ... hese statues are offensive to millions of citizens that he governs. ... When you reach a point that there are hate groups that engage in terrorist attacks, that these statues are being appropriated and used in way ... simply take down."
A week after Charlottesville, the Medieval Academy and 28 other scholarly groups released a statement condemning the "fantasy of a pure, white Europe that bears no relationship to reality."
Military's response
The leaders of several branches of the United States Armed Forces took to Twitter to denounce the march. Army Chief of Staff General Mark Milley, Air Force Chief of Staff General Dave Goldfein, Chief of Naval Operations Admiral John Richardson, Commandant of the Marine Corps General Robert Neller, Chief of the National Guard Bureau General Joseph Lengyel all tweeted statements condemning racial intolerance as anathema to what their institutions stand for. The 82nd Airborne Division took the opportunity to remind its Twitter followers that it had fought Nazis in Europe during World War II. Veterans groups, such as the American Legion and the Veterans of Foreign Wars, also publicly criticized the march. In 2021, the RAND Corporation released a framework to reduce the risk of extremist activity in the U.S. military.
Taken together, these responses were extremely unusual in United States history. Military leaders almost never take part in political controversies. Furthermore, in whole-heartedly condemning the march and its motives, their public comments put them at odds with the President who is the Commander in Chief of the military. Milley said that his statement was not intended to be political.
UN's response
In the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD) August 18 report, experts recalled the "horrific events in Charlottesville of 11–12 August 2017 leading to the death of Ms. Heather Heyer, and the injuries inflicted on many other protesters, as well as the terrible beating of Mr. Deandre Harris by white supremacists". The UN Committee experts condemned "the failure at the highest political level of the United States of America to unequivocally reject and condemn" racist violence.
President Biden's 2021 statement
On International Holocaust Remembrance Day on January 27, 2021, Biden said: "The horrors we saw and heard in Charlottesville in 2017, with white nationalists and neo-Nazis spewing the same antisemitic bile we heard in the 1930s in Europe, are the reason I ran for president".
Consequences
Financial costs
Albemarle County, the City of Charlottesville and the University of Virginia and its medical center collectively incurred $540,000 in costs from responding to the Ku Klux Klan rally in July 2017 and the Unite the Right rally in August 2017. Costs included police overtime and other expenses, costs from the fire department and the public works department, legal fees, and fees from a crisis communications firm. Sentara Martha Jefferson Hospital, a private hospital, spent more than $59,000.
Removal of statues
See also: Charlottesville historic monument controversy and Removal of Confederate monuments and memorialsThe violence in Charlottesville accelerated the removal of public Confederate statues from many U.S. cities. About twenty monuments were removed in the weeks immediately following the rally. In Baltimore, the city's four Confederate statues were removed on the night of August 15–16; Mayor Catherine Pugh said that she had ordered the overnight removals to preserve public safety. In Durham, North Carolina, a group toppled a statue outside the Old Durham County Courthouse; four activists were arrested in connection with the toppling. Three Confederate statues were also removed from the University of Texas at Austin in the aftermath of the Charlottesville violence.
In Lexington, Kentucky, Mayor Jim Gray asked the city council to approve the relocation of two statues from a courthouse. Proposals to relocate Confederate memorials were also made in Jacksonville, Florida, and Memphis, Tennessee, among many other places.
A plaque in Montreal that was installed in a Hudson's Bay Company store commemorating Jefferson Davis's brief stay in the city by the United Daughters of the Confederacy in 1957 was removed following the rally, after many complaints.
On July 10, 2021, Charlottesville removed the statues of General Lee and Stonewall Jackson.
Local politics
Most senior city officials in office at the time of the rally had resigned or retired a year later, or were about to. The city attorney (who had considered that the city couldn't legally stop the rally) left Charlottesville for another job, the chief of police resigned in the wake of a report concluding that the police failed to protect the public, and the city manager was set to retire by the end of 2018.
As a consequence of the rally, a left-wing political coalition became ascendant in local politics, with the aim of overturning what they considered age-old racial and economic injustice. Nikuyah Walker, one of the local activists who charged into a city council meeting days after the rally to confront the city leadership, was elected mayor in January 2018. A New York Times report in July 2018 concluded that the issue of whether the rally's violence was mainly the fault of outsiders or a consequence of local racism remained controversial in Charlottesville, and that the city remained divided between activists for change and those who would prefer to return to the status quo.
Sines v. Kessler
Main article: Sines v. KesslerIn November 2017, nine Charlottesville residents who suffered physical and psychological injuries during the Charlottesville violence filed a civil lawsuit in the United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia against Jason Kessler and other organizers and promoters of the rallies. The plaintiffs claim their civil rights were violated, as the organizers had urged those attending the Unite the Right rally to arm themselves and partake in violence. The plaintiffs sought both compensatory and injunctive relief from the trial. The defendants' motion to dismiss were denied.
The trial began on October 25, 2021. On November 23, 2021, jurors found in favor of the plaintiffs on the four counts and deadlocked on two other counts. Finding 17 white nationalist leaders and organizations liable, the jury awarded more than $25 million in damages.
Indictment of "Rise Above Movement" members
Convicted members
In August 2018, four members of the Southern California-based Rise Above Movement (RAM), were indicted in federal court in Virginia on charges of violating, and conspiring to violate, a federal rioting statute. Federal prosecutors and investigators charged the four California men – Benjamin Drake Daley, Thomas Walter Gillen, Michael Paul Miselis, and Cole Evan White – with planning violent acts at the Charlottesville rally and carrying out multiple assaults against counterprotesters. RAM, a militant white supremacist and neo-Nazi gang, espoused racism and antisemitism. The group, which claimed a membership of more than 50 people, had previously "boasted publicly of their violence during protests in Huntington Beach, San Bernardino and Berkeley."
Daley, Gillen, Miselis, and White all pleaded guilty in May 2019, admitting that they "collectively pushed, punched, kicked, choked, head-butted, and otherwise assaulted several individuals, resulting in a riot". Daley, Gillen, and Miselis were sentenced to prison turns of 37 months, 33 months and 27 months, respectively. Daley and Miselis submitted conditional guilty pleas that allowed them to appeal on the issue of the Anti-Riot Act, which they claimed was unconstitutional. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit rejected this argument, and affirmed the convictions while adopting a limiting constructions to the Act, holding that the key parts of the statute were constitutional as so construed. White, who cooperated with authorities and admitted guilty earlier than the others, served 7 months in prison and in 2019 was released, being permitted to spend the rest of his sentence on home electronic monitoring.
Pending charges
Robert Rundo, the founder of RAM, was charged in federal court in California in a criminal complaint unsealed in October 2018. Other members of the group – Robert Boman, Tyler Laube, and Aaron Eason – were also arrested and charged in federal court in California with violations of the federal Anti-Riot Act, specifically conspiracy to commit rioting and use of interstate commerce with intent to riot. Rundo fled to Central America, where he was quickly arrested and extradited to the United States.
U.S. District Judge Cormac J. Carney dismissed the charges against Rundo, Boman, and Eason in June 2019, ruling that the federal Anti-Riot Act is "unconstitutionally overbroad in violation of the First Amendment." Laube's case was also dismissed, following the 2019 withdrawal of a November 2018 guilty plea. In 2021 the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit reversed the district court's dismissal, finding that the challenged provisions of the Anti-Riot Act were, in fact, constitutional. Federal prosecutors thus resumed the criminal case against Rundo, Boman, and Laube; a new indictment against them was unsealed in January 2023. In addition to the defendants' participation in Charlottesville, the indictment also references the group's street brawls in California. Rundo was arrested in Romania in March 2023 and extradited to the United States.
Threats against a local politician
Charlottesville community activist Don Gathers, the co-founder of Charlottesville's Black Lives Matter chapter, who also served on the blue-ribbon committee which, after the Unite the Right rally, met to decide whether to remove or relocate the Confederate statues which were the putative focus of the rally, announced in a press release on January 7, 2019, that he would be a candidate for the Charlottesville city council, using the slogan "Community Driven, Community Focused". Gathers – who was also a member of the city's Civilian Police Review Board, and a deacon at First Baptist Church – scheduled a public event for the next day, but instead of officially announcing his candidacy, Gathers, who is black, withdrew from the race. He also resigned from the Review Board that night.
On September 18, 2019, white supremacist Daniel McMahon of Brandon, Florida, was arrested and charged with willful interference with a candidate for elective office, bias-motivated interference with a candidate for elective office, threats to injure in interstate commerce, and cyberstalking for threatening physical violence to Gathers, because he was a black man running for public office, causing Gathers to fear bodily injury or even death. McMahon, who is known online as the trolls "Jack Corbin" and "Pale Horse", described himself on Gab – a social network popular with far-right users – as a "Goddamn fascist". He praised both James Alex Fields Jr., the neo-Nazi who drove his car into a crowd of counter-protesters at the Unite the Right rally, killing one person and injuring 28, and was sentenced to life imprisonment, and Robert Bowers, the perpetrator of the 2018 Pittsburgh synagogue shooting, frequently citing Fields as an exemplar to intimidate anti-fascists. McMahon has expressed the opinions that "white people are superior to members of other racial, ethnic and religious groups", that undocumented immigrants deserve to be treated "like the cockroaches they are", and white people have the right to exist, but gay people do not. In 2020, McMahon pleaded guilty to charges of racially-motivated threats to interfere with an election, and one count of cyberstalking. He was sentenced 41 months in prison.
2018 anniversary rally
Main article: Unite the Right 2In November 2017, Jason Kessler, the organizer of the rally, applied for a permit to hold a rally in Charlottesville in August 2018, on the anniversary of the march. In December 2017, the city of Charlottesville denied the permit, writing that Kessler's application "likely underestimates the number of participants" and that "no reasonable allocation of city funds or resources can guarantee that event participants will be free of any 'threat of violence'". While Kessler filed suit against the city, he withdrew the suit before any ruling was made.
In June 2018, Jason Kessler's application for a "White Civil Rights Rally" was approved for August 11 and 12 by the National Park Service. The rally was planned to be held in Washington, D.C. A coalition of 18 activist groups under the collective title D.C. Against Hate planned "to counter-protest the event on a massive scale, with the aim of shutting down the rally entirely".
On July 31, 2018 Facebook announced that it had deleted a number of accounts which were engaging in "coordinated inauthentic behavior". Among the activities being pursued by these accounts was the organization of a counter-protest of the 2018 anniversary rally in Washington, D.C. Initial reports showed links between the deleted accounts and the Russian-based Internet Research Agency (IRA), which was connected to Russian misinformation campaigns during the 2016 US presidential election.
The Unite the Right 2 rally occurred on August 12, 2018, and saw low turnout, with up to 30 Kessler supporters while counter-protesters who demonstrated against the rally numbered into the thousands. There were only a few arrests, no one was injured, and the crowd was dispersed early by a rainstorm.
Legacy
On August 9, 2018, Debbie Elliott, writing for NPR, noted that "Charlottesville has become shorthand for racial strife." Elliott also noted that the rally "forced to rethink racial history", adding that "the new narrative is coming from the nearly 20 percent of residents who are not white and have long experienced racial disparities.", but that "as that story is being amplified, some fear being drowned out of the conversation".
On August 10, 2018, politician Tom Perriello, writing for Slate, argued that "a growing body of evidence suggests that the true legacy of Unite the Right will be the unity that's been forged by those on the other side—those who dare to face down the evils of historical revisionism and injustice to forge a better future." Perriello also argued that the rally may have started "the slow death of 'both sides' journalism", resulted in "Bankruptcy and jail time for Nazis", helped the Democrats win the 2017 Virginia gubernatorial election in November, and "Rais the bar for white allyship", resulting in "today's white allies more numerous, less expectant of being in charge, and more prepared to use white privilege as a shield on the front lines."
Also on August 10, political scientist Cas Mudde, writing for The Guardian, argued that "The myth of Charlottesville is that the rally was a big success for the alt-right. The organizers had two major political goals for the rally: firstly, to show the country that the alt-right is not just a social media phenomenon, and secondly, to bring various far right groups together. Neither of these goals was realized." and that "The rally's goal to reunite the extreme 'alt-right' with the radical 'alt-light' has failed as they grow further apart".
On the third anniversary of the Unite the Right rally in August 2020, lawyer Roberta Kaplan and Holocaust historian Deborah Lipstadt, writing for CNN, argued that "it is now clear that the violence and hatred evident at Charlottesville was not a passing moment or a onetime event.", citing several prominent killings and shootings that happened afterwards which "all had connections to and echoed the slogans and worldview so proudly proclaimed by the groups and individuals who came to Charlottesville.", including the 2018 Pittsburgh synagogue shooting, the 2019 Christchurch mosque shootings, the 2019 Poway synagogue shooting, the 2019 El Paso shooting, and the 2019 Halle synagogue shooting.
On the fifth anniversary of the rally, several remembrance events were held in Charlottesville, including a moment of silence at the University of Virginia chapel. The Anti-Defamation League released a statement saying that the rally "stunned the nation and brought the profound threat of domestic extremism into sharp focus"., adding that "Today, white supremacists have reimagined their messaging and tactics, but remain a critical threat, as clearly evidenced by attacks in Pittsburgh, El Paso, Poway and Buffalo, and by their participation in attempts to intimidate vulnerable communities and subvert our democracy". The Southern Poverty Law Center stated that "Five years after white supremacists descended on Charlottesville, Virginia, the statue they came to protect is gone, and the 'alt-right' coalition they embodied has imploded. At the same time, the existential threat that far-right extremism poses to the U.S. has arguably never been more severe." According to NPR, "Racial justice advocates see the terror as a turning point for the country – one that encouraged far right political violence, including the attack on the U.S. Capitol last year." Despite these setbacks, NPR also noted that "Civic engagement in Charlottesville has increased in the last five years. Community activists are pressing the city on equity issues, including in housing and public schools."
January 6 United States Capitol attack
Joan Donovan, research director at Harvard's Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy, said that key figures in the Unite the Right rally worked to raise online fury ahead of the January 6 United States Capitol attack.
See also
- Antisemitism in the United States in the 21st century
- Antisemitism in Virginia
- List of incidents of civil unrest in the United States
- 1939 Nazi rally at Madison Square Garden in New York City, held by the pro-Nazi organization named the German American Bund and attended by 20,000 Bundmen who espoused racism and antisemitism and beat a Jewish counter-protester named Isadore Greenbaum. The rally has frequently been compared to the march in Charlottesville.
- 1987 Forsyth County protests
- 2017 Berkeley protests
- Boston Free Speech Rally
- Liberation and Freedom Day, a new (2019) holiday which is officially celebrated in the city of Charlottesville
- 2020 VCDL Lobby Day
- 2021 United States Capitol attack
- "Documenting Hate, Charlottesville" – collaboration between Frontline and ProPublica
- Robert Edward Lee (sculpture) § Protests against its removal
- Matthew Q. Gebert, a US State Department employee who attended the Unite the Right rally
- Patriot Front, an alt-right movement group founded during the aftermath of the Unite the Right rally
- Radical right (United States)
- Bitburg controversy, a controversy surrounding Ronald Reagan's comments about Nazis
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Even more chilling was footage from Red Pump Kitchen, the Italian restaurant on the corner of the Downtown Mall and Fourth Street. First are the vehicles that drove down Fourth Street, which was supposed to be closed: a maroon van, a black pickup truck and a ragtop white Camry, which were all stopped by the counterprotesters who had marched east on Water Street and turned left onto Fourth. Then the Dodge Challenger slowly drives down Fourth—and pauses out of view near the mall crossing for nearly a minute. The car is seen backing up, and a moment later it speeds by.
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Evans has filed a motion seeking a court order under the Freedom of Information Act that the city of Charlottesville and Commonwealth's Attorney Joe Platania unseal the videos shown in an open courtroom at Fields' December 14 preliminary hearing, and make them available to the public. "The precedent is pretty clear across the entire country, both in the Supreme Court and in federal courts and in the state courts that statutes like this, when you show something like this to a portion of the public in a public setting, at that point you don't have the right as a government entity to withhold it from anybody else who asks for it", says Evans. Alan Gernhardt at the Virginia Freedom of Information Advisory Council says the videos could fall under FOIA's criminal investigative files exemption, especially if they were shown at a preliminary hearing. "They're not actually introduced into the court file", he says.
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External links
- Media related to Unite the Right rally at Wikimedia Commons
- Final Report of the Independent Review of the 2017 Protest Events in Charlottesville, Virginia by Timothy J. Heaphy of Hunton & Williams LLP, commissioned by the City of Charlottesville
- Charlottesville: Race and Terror, news documentary by Vice News (22 minutes)
- Who are the white nationalists and Antifa: Part 1, ABC News
- Deleted livestream of the event by one of the protestors
- After Words interview with Gov. Terry McAuliffe on his book Beyond Charlottesville: Taking a Stand Against White Nationalism, August 10, 2019, C-SPAN
- "Documenting Hate: Charlottesville". Frontline. Season 37. Episode 3. August 7, 2018. PBS. WGBH. Retrieved October 3, 2023.
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This list is incomplete. The Covenant School Hickory Campus, Charlottesville Catholic School, and Tandem Friends School have Charlottesville, VA postal addresses but are in adjacent Albemarle County. |
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