Unite the Right rally

Unite the Right rally

File:Alt Right demonstrators class with counter demonstrators at the entrance to Lee Park in Charlottesville, Aug. 12, 2017.jpg Demonstrators and counterdemonstrators clash at Emancipation Park in Charlottesville on August 12, 2017.
Date	August 11–12, 2017 (2017-08-11 – 2017-08-12)
Location	Charlottesville, Virginia, U.S.
Theme	Protest the removal of Confederate monuments and memorials from public spaces
Organized by	Jason Kessler
Casualties
3 deaths 1 killed by vehicle-ramming attack 2 state troopers killed in helicopter crash 38+ non-fatal injuries 19 injured by vehicle-ramming attack at least 19 injured in other clashes
Arrests	4

The Unite the Right rally (also known as the Charlottesville rally or simply Charlottesville) was a gathering of far-right groups in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, on August 11–12, 2017. Those assembled at the rally included members of white supremacist, white nationalist, alt-right, neo-Confederate, neo-Nazi, and militia movements. The participants were protesting against the removal of Confederate monuments and memorials from public spaces, specifically the Robert E. Lee statue in Emancipation Park.

The scheduled rally was officially canceled due to a state of emergency declared by Virginia governor Terry McAuliffe as well as readying the National Guard due to police inability to control the situation. Later that afternoon, a car plowed into a crowd of counterprotesters, killing a woman and injuring 19 other people, including five critically. Attorney General Jeff Sessions called it domestic terrorism, and has started a civil rights investigation into the attack to determine if it will be tried in court as a hate crime. At least 19 people were injured in street brawls, and other violence at the rally.

Separately, a police helicopter monitoring the scene crashed 7 miles (11 km) southwest of Charlottesville, killing the two Virginia State Police troopers on board.

Background

The August 11–12 rally was organized to protest the removal of the Robert E. Lee statue honoring the Confederate general Robert E. Lee in Emancipation Park in Charlottesville, Virginia, which had been renamed from Lee Park in June 2016. One organizer, Jason Kessler, also cited the renaming as a reason for the rally. The event was organized by white nationalists, white supremacists, and the alt-right.

Summer rallies in Charlottesville

The Robert Edward Lee statue in Emancipation Park

On May 13, 2017, white supremacist Richard Spencer led the Take Back Lee Park rally, a protest in Charlottesville against the city's plans to remove the statue of Lee from a downtown park. The event involved protesters holding torches near the statue. That same night, a candlelight counterprotest took place.

The Ku Klux Klan held another rally in Charlottesville on July 8. About 50 Klan members and 1,000 counterprotesters gathered at a loud but nonviolent rally; the Klan members left the park after about 45 minutes. In opposition to the rally, the Charlottesville Clergy Collective created a safe space at First United Methodist Church, which was used by over 600 people.

Protesters

The Southern Poverty Law Center wrote that the rally was "shaping up to be the largest hate-gathering of its kind in decades in the United States" and that it was "expected to draw a broad spectrum of far-right extremist groups – from immigration foes to Antisemites (bigots), neo-Confederates, Proud Boys, Patriot and militia types, outlaw bikers, swastika-wearing neo-Nazis, white nationalists and Ku Klux Klan members".

Among the far-right groups engaged in organizing the march were the neo-Nazi Daily Stormer clubs, the neo-Confederate League of the South, the National Policy Institute, and the National Socialist Movement. Other groups involved in the rally were the Ku Klux Klan, the Fraternal Order of Alt-Knights, the 3 Percenters, the Traditionalist Workers Party, Identity Evropa, the Oath Keepers, Vanguard America, the American Guard, the Pennsylvania Light Foot Militia, the New York Light Foot Militia, the Nationalist Front, and Anti-Communist Action. Prominent far-right figures in attendance included Richard B. Spencer, Baked Alaska, Augustus Invictus, David Duke, Nathan Damigo, Matthew Heimbach, Faith Goldy, Mike Enoch, League of the South founder Michael Hill, AltRight.com editor Daniel Friberg, former Business Insider CTO Pax Dickinson, Daily Stormer writer Johnny Monoxide, self-described "white activist" and organizer Jason Kessler, and radio host Christopher Cantwell.

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".

Counterprotesters

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"; a smaller number were further to the left. 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. Groups counterprotesting included representatives from the National Council of Churches, Black Lives Matter, Anti-Racist Action, Antifa, the Democratic Socialists of America, Redneck Revolt, the Industrial Workers of the World, and Showing Up for Racial Justice.

University and city preparations

The rally occurred when the University of Virginia was between its summer and fall semesters. On August 4, University of Virginia (UVA) President Teresa Sullivan sent an e-mail 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."

Fearing possible violence, the Virginia Discovery Museum and many downtown businesses closed for the day of the rally.

Permit and court cases

Kessler, the organizer of the "Unite the Right" rally, applied for a permit from the City of Charlottesville to hold the event at Emancipation Park. The week before the event, the Charlottesville government—including 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 Emancipation Park, adjacent to the densely populated Downtown Mall. Kessler refused to agree to relocate the rally, and the City relocated the rally anyway, 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. Conrad granted the injunction for the rally due to several factors: that Emancipation Park was the location for the statue of Robert E. Lee that was planned to be taken down and that the rally was partially for, that resources would be needed at both parks for both the rally and the counterprotestors, and that the move to McIntire Park was due to the viewpoints of the organizer and not the safety of the public. The court's decision was praised by the ACLU. Mayor 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."

Counterprotesters ultimately obtained permits to gather at McGuffey Park and Justice Park.

Event timeline

August 11

Tensions increased on the evening of Friday, August 11, when a group of white nationalists—variously numbered at dozens or around 100—marched through the University of Virginia's campus while 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 wielding tiki torches. The white nationalists marched from Nameless Field to The Lawn.

At the Rotunda, the group encountered counterprotesters next to a statue of university founder Thomas Jefferson. The white nationalists encircled the smaller group of counterprotesters at the base of the statue, and a brawl ensued. Several "members of both sides were reportedly hit with pepper spray, and several people were treated at the scene for minor injuries". The white nationalists "began swinging and throwing their lit tiki torches" amid the chaos.

Following the outbreak of violence, police declared the assembly to be unlawful and brought an end to the gathering. The Cavalier Daily reported, "While waiting for rides at Nameless Field after the march, several of the 'alt-right' protesters hurled anti-Semitic, 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." Mayor Michael Signer condemned the gathering, writing the following: "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."

In the evening, clergy led an ecumenical Christian and interfaith prayer service at St. Paul's Memorial Church on University Avenue in opposition to the Unite the Right rally.

Voice of America coverage of an altercation between white nationalists and counterprotestors at the rally.

August 12

Protesters and counterprotesters gathered at Emancipation Park in anticipation of the rally. White nationalist protesters chanted Nazi-era slogans, including "Blood and Soil". They shouted "You will not replace us" and "Jews will not replace us." Some waved Confederate flags, and others held posters targeting Jews that read "the Goyim know", using the Yiddish word for non-Jews, as well as "the Jewish media is going down". Protesters also shouted racial slurs and "Jew" when Charlottesville mayor Michael Signer was mentioned, and they waved Nazi flags and signs claiming, among other things, that "Jews are Satan's children". Dozens wore Donald Trump's red "Make America Great Again" campaign hats.

Counterprotests in opposition to the white nationalists began with an interfaith, interracial group of clergy who linked arms, prayed, and sang songs of peace. Later in the day, militant groups chanted such slogans as "Kill All Nazis."

Rolling Stone and Moyers & Company reported that Antifa protestors at the Rally "carried sticks and clubs." Antifa participants chanted "punch a Nazi in the mouth."

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. At least 19 people were injured in "street brawls" and other violence at the rally.

At 11:00 a.m., 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 about 11:40 a.m., shortly 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.

Vehicular attack

Video of the attack by witness.

During the rally, at about 1:45 p.m. on August 12, a man drove his car into a crowd of people who were protesting against the rally, killing 32-year-old Heather D. Heyer and injuring 19 others, in what police have called a deliberate attack. The attack occurred at a pedestrian mall at Water and Fourth streets (38°01′46.17″N 78°28′46.29″W). Video footage recorded at the scene showed a gray 2010 Dodge Challenger accelerating into crowds on a pedestrian mall, sending bodies flying, then reversing at high speed, hitting more people. The moment when the car was driven into the crowd was also captured 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 19 injured, 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.

Shortly after the collision, James Fields, a 20-year-old male with white supremacist beliefs, was arrested. He was charged with second-degree murder, three counts of malicious wounding, and failure to stop following an accident resulting in death, and he is being held without bail at the Albermarle-Charlottesville County Regional Jail. According to news reports, Fields was known to his high-school classmates and teachers as having white supremacist views and an "idolatry of Adolf Hitler"; former classmates said that when his class visited Germany on a class trip, Fields described their visit to the Dachau concentration camp as being "where the magic happened," spat on a Russian war memorial and read excerpts from Mein Kampf and listened to Nazi propaganda music. Social media postings also contained support for the alt-right.

National Security Adviser H. R. McMaster and several U.S. senators have described the 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 are investigating whether the suspect "crossed state lines with the intent to commit violence". Later, Sessions stated that the ramming meets the definition of 'domestic terrorism' and that it was an "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.

Heyer's mother stated that she wanted her daughter's name to become "a rallying cry for justice and equality and fairness and compassion."

Helicopter crash

On the afternoon of August 12, a Bell 407 helicopter owned by the Virginia State Police crashed 7 miles (11 km) west of Charlottesville, 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 is being investigated by the Federal Aviation Administration, National Transportation Safety Board, and Virginia State Police.

Aftermath

Vigils and protests

On August 13, candlelight vigils took place in Washington D.C., Minneapolis, and Pittsburgh (top-to-bottom, respectively).

The day following the rally, anti-hate advocates organized vigils and demonstrations in a number of cities across the country. The events had a variety of focuses: "Some focused on showing support for the people whom white supremacists condemn. Other demonstrations were pushing for the removal of Confederate monuments.... Still other gatherings aimed to denounce fascism and a presidential administration that organizers feel has let white supremacists feel empowered." 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.

On the afternoon of the day after the rally, Unite the Right organizer Jason Kessler attempted to hold a press conference in front of Charlottesville City Hall, but he was forced to abandon the conference by counterprotesters. Hundreds of people shouted "shame" at Kessler and "say her name" (referring to the woman killed the day before). One man was charged with misdemeanor assault and battery for allegedly spitting on Kessler.

Richard B. Spencer, who was scheduled to speak at the Unite the Right event, said he was not responsible for the violence, and he blamed counter-protesters and police.

On August 14, protesters gathered outside the old court house in Durham, North Carolina, and pulled down a Confederate monument. Another Confederate monument was removed by the United Daughters of the Confederacy from downtown Gainesville, Florida.

Online responses

GoDaddy demanded that The Daily Stormer, an American neo-Nazi and white supremacist news and commentary website, move its 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.

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.

On Twitter, a group of users identified white nationalist/supremacist marchers from photographs, publicizing at least nine names and identities. There was at least one case of mistaken identity; one University of Arkansas engineering professor received threatening messages from Twitter users who mistook him for a similar-looking man at the rally who wore an "Arkansas Engineering" T-Shirt.

Reactions

Before the rally, Senator Tim Kaine expressed support for free speech, but he condemned the rally.

Governor of Virginia Terry McAuliffe responds.

In an address later in the day following the rally, Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe, flanked by Charlottesville mayor Michael Signer, and Charlottesville's police chief, directly addressed the rally participants: "I have a message to 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." Signer said he was disgusted that white supremacists came to his town and he faulted President Donald Trump for inflaming racial tensions during his 2016 campaign, stating: "I'm not going to make any bones about it. I place the blame for a lot of what you're seeing in America today right at the doorstep of the White House and the people around the president."

The General Secretary of the World Council of Churches, Olav Fykse Tveit, stated that "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".

Following the rally, UVA president Teresa A. Sullivan condemned the "senseless violence" at the rally and asked university community members to help protect "the safety and well-being of all members of our community ... by staying off the streets tonight as our public safety officials work to maintain order and offer assistance to those who are in need".

Alex Jones, a far-right conspiracy theorist, falsely claimed on his show that the protests were "a bunch of antifa, George Soros-, globalist-, Hillary Clinton-funded crap" and that the right-wing protesters were "fake supremacists they brought in to march around in front of a bunch of conservatives" and "Jewish guys posing as Nazis".

President Trump's response

First statement

Speaking in New Jersey, President Trump condemns the violence which occurred at the white supremacist rally in Virginia. (Video from Voice of America)

On August 12, Trump responded by saying: "We all must be united & condemn all that hate stands for. There is no place for this kind of violence in America. Let's come together as one!" He condemned "in the strongest possible terms" what he called an "egregious display of hatred, bigotry and violence on many sides. On many sides." He added, "What is vital now is a swift restoration of law and order."

A spokesperson for Trump later released an addendum to his remarks, stating, "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."

Because Trump did not specifically denounce white nationalists, white supremacists or neo-Nazis, and the counter-protester side was the only one with any casualties, his "many sides" comment was criticized as insufficient by a number of Democratic and Republican members of Congress. Whereas members of both political parties condemned the hatred and violence of white nationalists, neo-Nazis and alt-right activists, The New York Times noted 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 decision was reported to have come from White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon, in fear of repelling alt-right support for the Trump presidency.

The Congressional Black Caucus decried what it saw as Trump's false equivalency and dog-whistle politics, saying "White supremacy is to blame." Republican U.S. Representative Justin Amash and Senators Cory Gardner, Jeff Flake, Orrin Hatch, and Marco Rubio all called upon Trump to specifically condemn white supremacists and neo-Nazis; in a tweet that was retweeted by Flake, Gardner said: "Mr. President – we must call evil by its name. These were white supremacists and this was domestic terrorism." 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." Utah Republican Senator Orrin Hatch, 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 senator Cory Gardner called it domestic terrorism in a tweet, and a few hours later Republican senator Ted Cruz wrote on Facebook, "The Nazis, the KKK, and white supremacists are repulsive and evil, and all of us have a moral obligation to speak out against the lies, bigotry, anti-Semitism, and hatred that they propagate." He continued, "Having watched the horrifying video of the car deliberately crashing into a crowd of protesters, I urge the Department of Justice to immediately investigate and prosecute this grotesque act of domestic terrorism."

Former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke responded by saying 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."

The NAACP released a statement saying that while they "acknowledge and appreciate President Trump’s disavowment of the hatred which has resulted in a loss of life today", they call on Trump "to take the tangible step to remove Steve Bannon – a well-known white supremacist leader – from his team of advisers". The statement further describes Bannon as a "symbol of white nationalism" who "energizes that sentiment" through his current position within the White House. Political scientist Larry Sabato, playwright Beau Willimon, conservative journalist David A. French, actor Mark Ruffalo, Democratic U.S. Representative Ted Lieu and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi also called for Bannon's firing. Political commentator Symone Sanders and two former federal government lawyers, Vanita Gupta and Richard Painter, who worked in the administrations of Barack Obama and George W. Bush respectively, called for both Bannon and Deputy Assistant to the President Sebastian Gorka to be fired. The Congressional Progressive Caucus and U.S. Representative Bill Pascrell called on Trump to fire Senior Advisor to the President Stephen Miller in addition to Bannon and Gorka.

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 several commentators noted that it took Trump only minutes to condemn Frazier, but it took him several days to denounce the neo-Nazis and white supremacists who marched in Charlottesville. Additionally, Kevin Plank, the founder and CEO of Under Armour, and Brian Krzanich, the chief executive of Intel, also resigned from the council that same day. Trump proceded to mock his council, and says t

Second statement

Trump makes second statement. Video from Voice of America

On August 14, from the White House, President Trump said:

To anyone who acted criminally in this weekend's racist violence, you will be held fully accountable. Justice will be delivered. [...] Racism 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.

— Donald J. Trump, The New York Times & CNN (August 14, 2017)

Trump had reportedly been reluctant to issue this statement, believing his initial one was adequate, but was persuaded to do so by White House Chief of Staff John F. Kelly.

Richard B. Spencer dismissed Trump's second statement as "hollow", and said that he believed Trump had not denounced the alt-right movement or white nationalism. Several commentators, including South Carolina Senator Tim Scott (one of three African Americans serving in the U.S. Senate, and the only Republican among the three), agreed that the firmer second statement came too late.

NAACP president Cornell William Brooks stated that with his second statement, Trump stuck to a "rhetorical minimum" of a condemnation, and that the statement "gave the impression that the President was trying to have his hate cake and eat it too".

External links

• Charlottesville: Race and Terror, news documentary by Vice News (22 minutes), via Vice.com