Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe declared a state of emergency across Virginia Saturday morning after a white nationalist “Unite the Right” rally was broken up as an unlawful assembly. The rally began Friday evening and broke out into violent outbursts with antifa and Black Lives Matter counter-protesters and police.
“I am disgusted by the hatred, bigotry and violence these protesters have brought to our state over the past 24 hours,” McAuliffe said in a statement. “At 11:28 a.m., the Virginia State Police contacted me to request a state of emergency and I immediately authorized the declaration. … I agree that the situation in Charlottesville warrants an emergency declaration.”
Governor McAuliffe has declared a state of emergency to aid state response to violence at Alt-Right rally in Charlottesville
— Ralph Northam (@GovernorVA) August 12, 2017
McAuliffe added that “in the days and weeks leading up to this event,” his administration “engaged in extensive planning and preparation to ensure that the rally in Charlottesville could be held in a safe and lawful environment.” He reported deploying “a large number of state troopers, as well as the Virginia National Guard for support.”
Around noon, Charlottesville police declared an “unlawful assembly,” and evacuated Justice Park, the site of the rally.
“State police, Charlottesville police, with the assistance of National Guard personnel, moved the crowd through the streets to disperse them,” Corinne Geller, Virginia State Police spokeswoman, told Fox News.
“In the crowds, on all sides, they were throwing bottles, they were throwing soda cans with cement in them, they were throwing paint balls, they were fighting — breaking out and attacking one another — launching chemicals into the crowd, and as well as smoke bombs and so forth,” she added. “No local or state police had deployed any tear gas.”
Corinne Geller, Virginia State Police Spox: "This is not a good day for Charlottesville. This is not a good day for the Commonwealth." pic.twitter.com/1UTBmTCsco
— Fox News (@FoxNews) August 12, 2017
Geller would not say which side began the violence.
The “Unite the Right” rally in downtown Charlottesville was scheduled to begin at noon on Saturday, and was originally organized to protest the decision to remove a statue of Robert E. Lee, the general in charge of the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia in the Civil War, from Emancipation Park.
A rally of white nationalist groups marching through Charlottesville with tiki torches was shut down by police Friday night after the march turned violent. The marchers chanted “Anti-White!”
Demonstrators chant "anti-white" at a torch-lit march on @UVA's campus ahead of Saturday's "Unite the Rally" rally. (Credit: IG/hectorapm) pic.twitter.com/hINgozZJF9
— Kurt Chirbas (@kchirbas) August 12, 2017
Some warned that the marchers were converging around a black church in Charlottesville Friday night.
They are coming for the church!
Police all around.
They won't let us go outside.
Y'all these KKK are marching with torches!— Traci Blackmon (@pastortraci) August 12, 2017
The evening rally ended in violence.
#UniteTheRight protest in Charlottesville seems to have ended with pepper spray and brawls. https://t.co/eYw0KYyqVM
— Chris Cioffi (@ReporterCioffi) August 12, 2017
Police arrived to disperse the rally, declaring the event an “unlawful assembly.”
Unlawful assembly declared at @UVA pic.twitter.com/y3UvphNYH3
— Allison Wrabel (@craftypanda) August 12, 2017
The violence broke out again on Saturday morning. Here is a video from CNN.
At least 2 people have been injured in violent clashes in #Charlottesville, VA ahead of a white nationalist rally https://t.co/dzg92WQnHM
— CNN Newsroom (@CNNnewsroom) August 12, 2017
Here is another vantage point on the violence.
Another massive brawl breaks out between #antifa and #UniteTheRight in #Charlottesville pic.twitter.com/MHDuKyOTcm
— Alex Rubinstein (@RealAlexRubi) August 12, 2017
The violence continued after the park was shut down. At around 2 p.m. Eastern, a car drove into a crowd of protesters, the Associated Press (AP) reported.
BREAKING: Vehicle plows into a group of counter-protesters at a white nationalist rally in Virginia; injuries unknown.
— The Associated Press (@AP) August 12, 2017
Here is a shocking video.
BREAKING: Car plows into crowd. #Charlottesville pic.twitter.com/IJmgmvihHA
— Oliver Darko (@oliver_drk) August 12, 2017
HuffPost senior reporter Andy Campbell found at least one protester with a Nazi flag.
https://twitter.com/AndyBCampbell/status/896385942495285248
He also found one wearing a t-shirt quoting Adolf Hitler.
https://twitter.com/AndyBCampbell/status/896353431597797377
Campbell also shared evidence of protesters being attacked with chemical agents — not from police, but from clashing activists, as the police reported.
https://twitter.com/AndyBCampbell/status/896403336588664832
Liberals started sharing photos, pinning the protests directly to President Donald Trump.
https://twitter.com/JerriSwann21/status/896425456114704384
Liberal activist Amy Siskind went even further. “This Unite the Right Rally in #Charlottesville may as well be the Republican Convention. U let Trump take over ur party. U own this darkness!”
This Unite the Right rally in #Charlottesville may as well be the Republican Convention. U let Trump take over ur party.U own this darkness!
— Amy Siskind 🏳️🌈 (@Amy_Siskind) August 12, 2017
While Trump’s campaign did have white nationalist undertones, he and his party decried the violence and protests in Charlottesville. At the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) earlier this year, the organizers emphatically condemned the alt-right movement.
“We ALL must be united & condemn all that hate stands for,” Trump tweeted Saturday afternoon. “There is no place for this kind of violence in America. Let’s come together as one!”
We ALL must be united & condemn all that hate stands for. There is no place for this kind of violence in America. Lets come together as one!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 12, 2017
Republican National Committee (RNC) Chairwoman Ronna Romney McDaniel also strongly condemned the protests. “The hate & bigotry on display in Charlottesville is dangerous & cowardly,” she tweeted. “Free speech may give them the right to do this but also empowers us to unite to loudly speak out against it.”
The hate & bigotry on display in #charlottesville is dangerous & cowardly.
— Ronna McDaniel (@GOPChairwoman) August 12, 2017
First Lady Melania Trump also condemned the violence. “Our country encourages freedom of speech, but let’s communicate without hate in our hearts. No good comes from violence.”
Our country encourages freedom of speech, but let's communicate w/o hate in our hearts. No good comes from violence. #Charlottesville
— Melania Trump (@FLOTUS) August 12, 2017
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