Tragedy in Charlottesville after White Nationalist Rally
At least one person is dead and several are injured tonight after protests and counter protests turned violent in Charlottesville, Virginia.
August 14, 2017
At least one person is dead and several are injured tonight after protests and counter protests turned violent in Charlottesville, Virginia.
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At least one person is dead and several are injured tonight after protests and counter protests turned violent in Charlottesville, Virginia.
The violent clashes began before a so-called “Unite the Right” rally scheduled to take place in Charlottesville’s McIntire Park.
Organizers had originally planned to hold a rally in the city’s “Emancipation Park,” which used to be called “Lee Park” in honor of Confederate General Robert E. Lee. The Charlottesville City Council voted in April to remove a bronze statue of Lee from that park, sparking opposition by white nationalists.
They converged on the park today, waving Confederate flags and chanting Nazi-era slogans. They were soon surrounded by counter-protesters with their own signs and chants. Shoving and fighting soon followed.
A spokesman for the Anti-Defamation League called today’s protest a “white supremacist rally,” indicating, “The darkest corners of society are emboldened to come forward and openly parade their bigotry on Main Street.”
The rally ended before it ever began. By early afternoon, police had largely cleared the park.
Later, one car plowed into a group of counter-protesters, causing multiple injuries.
This video — posted to Twitter by a staff member of the former U.S. congressman from Charlottesville — shows a car driving into a crowd and then speeding away in reverse. The witness says the crash seemed intentional.
President Trump said today in a tweet, quote: “We must all be united at condemning all that hate stands for. There is no place for this kind of violence in America. Let’s come together as one.”
Later, he spoke about Charlottesville from his golf club in New Jersey.
For more resources and information, please visit our #Charlottesville Curriculum page
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