It was shocking for many Americans to see men in camouflage clothing sporting AR pattern rifles at the “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville. Few people had any reason to believe these were anything but true believers in the racist rhetoric being slung around by those waving Nazi flags and throwing up the traditional salute of the Third Reich.
However, a Pennsylvania man who headed up that group of people had some harsh words for organizer Jason Kessler.
[Christian] Yingling said the idea that his group sympathized with white nationalists was absurd. In a Facebook Live video on Sunday, he called the organizer of Saturday’s event a jackass.
“I wanna publicly state, Jason Kessler, you’re a piece of shit for what you did to that city yesterday,” Yingling said in the nearly 45 minute video.
“This rally had nothing to do with uniting the right wing,” Yingling said. “They weren’t there to support Southern heritage or protest a statue; they were there to fight.”
Kessler wasn’t the only one Yingling took issue with either.
Still, Yingling’s criticism wasn’t reserved for rally organizers. He also took shots at the anti-fascists, and even the police, saying they were poorly prepared and not assertive enough. Moran disputed that claim.
“To say we were unprepared or inexperienced is absolutely wrong,” Moran said. “We unequivocally acted at the right time and with the appropriate response.”
To be sure, reports from law enforcement indicate Yingling’s group was instrumental in helping curb a great deal of violence in Charlottesville.
It’s easy to see why he felt he and his group needed to be at the rally. Antifa has proven time and time again that they will go and try to disrupt a peaceful protest of anyone they disagree with. The riot following their attempt to break up a free speech rally in Berkeley, CA, earlier this year resulted in multiple injuries.
Yingling’s condemnation of Kessler is only the latest criticism of the event that helps paint the right wing of American politics as being ideological fellow travelers with neo-Nazis and other breeds of racist scumbags. If nothing else, Kessler deserves scorn for that and that alone.
Unfortunately, Yingling made it clear that he believes Kessler actually wanted fighting to break out.
I can’t say whether that’s the case or not, but if so, Kessler got his wish. Now a woman is dead, dozens injured, and the side he claims to support gets to distance themselves from people with the most abhorrent views possible.
Nice job there, Jason.
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