Tag: white nationalists

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Trump On Charlottesville Violence: “Bigotry And Violence On Both Sides”

In the aftermath of the white supremacist rally which turned to deadly violence in Charlottesville, Virginia, Donald Trump issued a statement denouncing the “hatred, bigotry and violence on many sides.”

It was the nazis’ rally that turned violent. Not peace-loving citizens who made today so ugly in Charlottesville.

“We condemn in the strongest possible terms this egregious display of hatred, bigotry and violence on many sides. It’s been going on a long time in our country. Not Donald Trump, not Barack Obama. It’s been going on for a long, long time.”

You’ll note that “Not Donald Trump.” He made a point to sidestep his own responsibility for stoking these racial flames the past two years.

This hurts my heart as an American. It honest to God hurts that our president can’t boldly stand up to this white supremacist hate.

Watch below.

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Virginia Governor Declares State Of Emergency As Nazi Rally Escalates To Violence

Just terrible.

A planned protest by “white nationalists” (read that “white supremacists/Nazis”) in Virginia was abandoned on Saturday after the level of violence escalated to such a heated level the governor had  to declare a state of emergency as law enforcement officers cleared the area.

From the New York Times:

The demonstration, which both organizers and critics had said was the largest gathering of white nationalists in recent years, turned violent almost immediately and left several people injured.

The turmoil began with a march Friday night and escalated Saturday morning as hundreds of white nationalists gathered. Waving Confederate flags, chanting Nazi-era slogans, wearing helmets and carrying shields, they converged on a statue of Robert E. Lee in the city’s Emancipation Park and began chanting phrases like “You will not replace us,” and “Jew will not replace us.”

Hundreds of counter-protesters quickly surrounded the crowd, chanting and carrying their own signs.

By 11 a.m., the scene had exploded into taunting, shoving and outright brawling. Barricades encircling the park and separating the two sides began to come down, and police temporarily retreated. People were seen clubbing one another in the streets, and pepper spray filled the air.

Police cleared the area before noon, and the Virginia National Guard arrived as officers began arresting some who remained for unlawful assembly. But fears lingered that the altercation would start again nearby, even as politicians, including Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe, a Democrat, and House Speaker Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, a Republican, condemned the violence.

The protest, billed as a “Unite the Right” rally, was the culmination of a year and a half of debate in Charlottesville over the fate of the Lee statue. A movement to remove it began when an African-American high school student here started a petition. The City Council voted 3 to 2 in April to sell it, but a judge issued an injunction temporarily stopping the move.

The city had been bracing for a sea of alt-right demonstrators, and on Friday night, hundreds of them, carrying lit torches, marched on the picturesque grounds of the University of Virginia, founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson. The group included prominent white nationalist figures like Richard Spencer and David Duke, a former imperial wizard of the Ku Klux Klan.

Apparently, the white supremacists tried to spin Trump’s first tweet into a message that condemned the counter-protesters. Trump then issued a second tweet regarding the nazi rally:

At one point, a car plowed through a group of counter-protesters.

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White Nationalists March On University Of Virginia

(image via Twitter)

If you’re just waking up and missed it, torch wielding white nationalists marched on a church in Charlottesville VA last night.

From the New York Times:

A month after a Ku Klux Klan rally here ended with the police using tear gas on protesters, Charlottesville is bracing for a weekend of white nationalist demonstrations and counterprotests, and suddenly this tranquil college town feels like a city under siege.

Thousands of people — many from out of town — are expected to descend on the city to either protest or participate in a “Unite the Right” rally on Saturday convened by white nationalists who oppose a plan to remove a statue of Robert E. Lee, the Confederate general, from a city park.

“People are angry, they’re scared, they’re hurt, they’re confused,” said the Rev. Seth Wispelwey of the local United Church of Christ. “White supremacists rallying in our town is an act of violence.”

Late Friday night, several hundred torch-bearing men and women marched on the main quadrangle of the University of Virginia’s grounds, shouting, “You will not replace us,” and “Jew will not replace us.” They walked around the Rotunda, the university’s signature building, and to a statue of Thomas Jefferson, where a group of counterprotesters were gathered, and a brawl ensued. At least one person was led away in handcuffs by the police.

In a Facebook post, Charlottesville’s mayor, Mike Signer, called it a “cowardly parade of hatred, bigotry, racism, and intolerance.”

“I am beyond disgusted by this unsanctioned and despicable display of visual intimidation on a college campus,” he added.