Va. rally leader blames city:
Mayhem overruns news conference while remembrance vigil canceled due to threats.
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA. Tensions remained high Sunday as the city and nation grappled with the aftermath of deadly violence between white nationalists defending a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee and opponents protesting white supremacist views.
A planned Sunday night vigil at the University of Virginia in remembrance of Heather Heyer, who was killed Saturday, was canceled because of a “credible threat from white supremacists,” according to a statement from organizers. It was to be held on Facebook Live instead.
“It was a real-world threat,” said Andy Stepanian, a spokesman for Solidarity C’Ville, one of the groups behind the event.
Jason Kessler, the local organizer of Saturday’s Unite the Right rally, tried to hold a news conference Sunday in front of Charlottesville City Hall — and it quickly descended into chaos.
Protesters blared horns, rang bells and shouted “murderer.” Kessler’s voice was drowned out, he was tackled and bedlam en- sued before police officers intervened and spirited him away.
“I tried my best but once again violence rules over speech and ideas in #Charlottesville,” Kessler tweeted later. “The first amendment is finished it seems.”
Charlottesville resident Jeffrey Stricker said he attended the would-be news conference to protest Kessler and other white nationalists.
“Their views have been out of date for a long time,” Stricker said. “They’re not welcome.”
It was another moment of mayhem for the city, home to the University of Virginia and now a battleground for clashes pitting white supremacists, neo-Nazis and other “alt-right” groups against counterprotesters.
That battleground turned deadly Saturday when Heather Heyer, 32, was killed after a car slammed into counterprotesters marching away from the scene of the initial violence. Ten people remained hospitalized in good condition Sunday, according to the UVA Health System.
“My heart goes out to Heather Heyer’s family,” Gov. Terry McAuliffe tweeted Sunday. “She died standing up against hate & bigotry. Her bravery should inspire all to come together.”
The Justice Department said it will open a civil rights investigation into Heyer’s death.
Hours after the car crash, two state troopers died when their helicopter slammed into woods near the protests.
McAuliffe, a Democrat, denounced right-wing extremists Sunday and spoke of healing. “I see a future that is brighter,” he told a worshipers at the historically black First Baptist Church. “I see a future where every single child, no matter where you were born, how you were born or who you love, has the same opportunities in our great society.”
Charlottesville Mayor Michael Signer called Heyer’s death a terrorist act. “This is a city that is praying and grieving,” he told CNN. “We had three people die yesterday who didn’t need to die. ... Two things need to be said over and over again — domestic terrorism and white supremacy.”
After Kessler’s failed news conference, he released a video statement on Twitter blaming city officials for Saturday’s violence. He said they failed to separate the protest groups and were ill-equipped to handle the melee. The city “was so concerned about shutting down the speech ... they weren’t willing to do their jobs,” Kessler said.
Rallies against racism were scheduled Sunday from Washington, D.C., to San Francisco. Protesters in Greenville, S.C., carried signs proclaiming “Hate crimes have no home here” and “white supremacy = hate crimes, prejudice and ignorance.”