Clashes reveal US racial divide Protests, vigils across country amid ‘hatred and ignorance’
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Virginia — Violent clashes that resulted in the death of a woman disrupted a typically quiet weekend in Charlottesville, a historic college town in the US state of Virginia, as a racially divided society was once again put under the spotlight.
The chaotic weekend started on Friday night with a torchlit march by local white nationalists who were outraged by the city’s decision to remove symbols of its Confederate past. They chanted “White lives matter” and Nazi slogans as they marched through the University of Virginia.
They planned a larger “Unite the Right” rally at noon on Saturday, expected by organizers and critics to be one of the largest such gatherings in recent times.
Hundreds of nationalists and right-wing activists from across the country gathered early in the morning in McIntire Park, outside the downtown area.
Several streets away, counter-demonstrators, including clergy and political activists, rallied at an African-American church. Harvard University Professor Cornel West said he was coming to the city to “stand against white supremacy”.
Both sides later started marching toward Emancipation Park, home to a statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee, who commanded forces of the proslavery Confederacy in the United States Civil War.
Nationalists claimed they took to the streets because they were offended by the removal of the statue, but opponents argued that this was not the reason for the “altright” rally.
“It is a sad day for the country,” said one witness who called himself Jordan, adding that the nationalists “just want to spew out hatred and ignorance”.
Hit-and-run
After clashes between rival groups of demonstrators, a gray sports car slammed into anti-racism protesters, killing 32-year-old Heather Heyer and injuring 19 people.
A spokesperson for the University of Virginia Medical Center said five of the injured were in critical condition.
The suspected driver, a 20-year-old man from Ohio
If that issue is not properly handled, the consequences will be disastrous.” One witness who called himself Jordan. He said nationalists “just want to spew out hatred and ignorance”.
who was described as a Nazi sympathizer, was arrested a short time later. He will appear in court on Monday to face several charges, including second-degree murder.
Besides the casualties caused by the hit-and-run, authorities said another 15 people were injured during the clashes.
“The violence shows that racism is still a serious problem in a still-divided US society,” Jordan said. “If that issue is not properly handled, the consequences will be disastrous.”
On Sunday, there were vigils and demonstrations across the country, from anti-fascist protests in San Francisco to a march to President Donald Trump’s home in New York.
In Seattle, a rally previously planned for Sunday by the conservative pro-Trump group known as Patriot Prayer drew hundreds of counter protesters. Police arrested three men and confiscated weapons as Trump supporters and counter-protesters converged downtown.
A barricade separated the two groups as police officers stood by dressed in riot gear. Police said they used pepper spray and blast balls to disperse crowds after fireworks were thrown at officers.
In a statement, police said they observed some people in the counter protest carrying ax handles and two-by fours among the hundreds of peaceful demonstrators.