Trump must stand firm on hate mob

AN innocent woman died and many more were injured as a result of appalling violence in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Former Klan leader David Duke, speaking at the rally that preceded the horrendous events, boasted that the white nationalist marchers were going to “fulfil the promises of Donald Trump” to “take our country back”.

The marchers have brought the country to the brink of a new era of race hatred.

This is the kind of domestic chaos that was feared when right-wing ranter Trump took over the White House.

And it is tragic – but not unexpected – that Trump failed to properly condemn those who have sparked this disgusting episode.

When it came to condemnation of ram-raiding the counter-protesters with a vehicle – the kind of domestic terrorism we witnessed in the UK at the Finsbury Park mosque in London recently – all Trump could do was condemn the “display of hatred, bigotry and violence on many sides”.

He repeated “on many sides” just to make sure the American Nazis knew he was not solely against them.

While the US constitution defends the freedom of speech, for the president not to specifically condemn the racists behind this violence is a disgrace.

To try to equate Nazism with those protesters seeking to defend the heritage of the civil rights movement is a disgrace. We’ve heard of fake news – this is false equivalence.

Lots of things have sides. Even people have different sides to them.

But there is only good and evil in Charlottesville – and there is only one side to be on, Mr President.