2017 or 1967? White Supremacists Rally Outside of UVA
By: Kayla Pasacreta
last month's KKK rally in Charlottesville
A large group of white protestors carrying candle lights are gathering around UVA in Charlottesville, Virgina, tonight. The reason for their gathering is quite scary. The protestors are chanting "White Lives Matter!", "end immigration", and "unite the right", in protest of a recently removed statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee.
Charlottesville, Virginia has a history deeply rooted in racism. The Confederacy is glorified, and KKK protestors just had a march in the city last month. The town seems to be very much stuck in the racist, bigoted ways of the past. The rally, planned by right-wing blogger Jason Kessler who calls himself a "white advocate", was advertised on social media with the hashtag #UnitetheRight. Many in the city made attempts to stop the rally, but U.S. district Judge Glen Conrad gave the protestors permission to rally for the entire weekend.
Kessler remarked on Twitter his pride at the turnout:
Here are some photos from the rally:
Update (August 12) : The Governor of Virginia, Terry McAuliffe, declared a state of emergency around 11 am, claiming “imminent threat of civil disturbance, unrest, potential injury to persons, and destruction of public and personal property.”
According to the Associated Press, a car plowed through a crowd of white supremacists demonstrators and counter protestors in an area in Charlottesville where both groups have been engaged in face off all day. A 32 - year old woman was killed at the scene of the crash and 19 others have sustained injuries ranging from minor to life threatening. The driver of the vehicle is currently in police custody.
According to CNN, there has been 35 reported injuries associated with the rally today. Also, the Governor of Virginia stated in a press conference that at least three fatalities were reported today.
Instead of condemning the white supremacists responsible for this chaos, President Trump gave a response to reporters today: "We are closely following the terrible events unfolding in Charlottesville, Virginia. We condemn in the strongest possible terms this egregious display of hatred, bigotry and violence on many sides, on many sides. It has been going on for a long time in our country -- not Donald Trump, not Barack Obama. It has been going on for a long, long time. It has no place in America." (CNN)
We urge people of color in the area to stay safe. More updates as events unfold.
