Counter-protest dwarfs Unite the Right rally

A year after a deadly gathering of far-Right extremists in Charlottesville, a few dozen white nationalists marched yesterday across from the White House, their numbers dwarfed by thousands of counter-protesters.

The events, largely peaceful though tense at times in Charlottesville and Washington, were part of a day of speeches, vigils and marches marking the anniversary of one of the largest gatherings of white nationalists and other far-Right extremists in a decade.

In Washington, dozens of police in bright yellow vests formed a tight cordon around the small group of white nationalists, separating them from shouting counter-protesters within view of the White House.

President Donald Trump wasn’t at home – he has been at his golf club in New Jersey for more than a week on a working vacation.

Jason Kessler, the principal organiser of last year’s ‘‘Unite the Right’’ event, led the gathering he called a white civil rights rally in Lafayette Square. Kessler said in a permit application that he expected 100 to 400 people to participate, but the actual number was far lower: only about 30.

Counter-protesters, who assembled before the rally’s scheduled start, vastly outnumbered Kessler’s crowd. Thousands showed up to jeer and shout insults at the white nationalists.

Makia Green, who represents the Washington branch of Black Lives Matter, told the crowd: ‘‘We know from experience that ignoring white nationalism doesn’t work.’’

By about 5pm, local time, those in Kessler’s group packed into white vans and left, escorted by police.

Earlier this month, Facebook stunned and angered counter-protest organisers when it disabled their Washington event’s page, saying it and others had been created by ‘‘bad actors’’ misusing the social media platform.

The company said at the time that the page may be linked to an account created by Russia’s Internet Research Agency – a troll farm that has sown discord in the US – but counterprotesters said it was an authentic event they worked hard to organise.

Earlier in the day in Charlottesville, the mother of Heather Heyer, a 32-yearold paralegal who was killed when a car ploughed into a crowd of counter-protesters during last year’s rally, said there’s still much healing to be done.

Susan Bro laid flowers at a makeshift memorial at the site of the attack in downtown Charlottesville.

AP Metro Police and Secret Service personnel are forced back by counter-protesters outside the Pennsylvania Ave security barrier on 17th Street while attempting to escort attendees of the ‘‘Unite the Right 2’’ rally from Lafayette Park in Washington.