On Charlottesville anniversary, US white supremacists flex muscle in capital
Hundreds of white nationalists showed up in Washington D.C. for a demonstration on Sunday, marking the one-year anniversary of deadly riots in Charlottesville, state of Virginia.
Police said they were prepared for the rally in the capital city with the counterprotests likely to draw more participants than the far-right rally.
The protests passed by the White House. US President Donald Trump was not in the capital this weekend.
Last summer’s “Unite the Right” rally in historic Charlottesville, held on August 12 to protest US cities taking down Confederate statues, attracted national attention when white supremacists, fascists and neo-Nazis clashed with counter-protesters.
A 32-year-old woman was killed and 19 others were injured when an Ohio man associated with white nationalist groups allegedly drove a car into the crowd of counter-protesters.
Trump drew a firestorm of criticism last year following the deadly incident when he said “both sides” were to blame for the violence.
The president weighed in a day ahead of the far-right gathering, condemning “all types of racism and acts of violence.”
“The riots in Charlottesville a year ago resulted in senseless death and division. We must come together as a nation,” Trump tweeted Saturday.
Charlottesville previous denied a permit to host another “Unite the Right” rally in the city this year, citing concerns of public safety. Virginia Governor Ralph Northam and the city of Charlottesville have declared a state of emergency and have mobilized a large number of police force to fend off violence after drawing bitter lessons from last year’s riots and bloodletting.
Local reports say a crowd of 200 people gathered in a park in Charlottesville on Sunday to protest racism and mark the anniversary.
The “Unite the Right” rally, held in Lafayette Park, directly north of White House, brought about 400 demonstrators and meet with counter-protests consisting of 2,500 people, according to documents.
Local police in D.C. and in counties in the neighboring state of Virginia were coordinating with federal security forces.
Police have said they will keep the factions apart at this year’s event to prevent any violence.
Last year’s rally featured demonstrators openly carrying firearms, though Washington’s gun laws are much more restrictive and police have made clear they will clamp down on any violations.
Earlier, Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser denounced people coming to our city for the sole purpose of spewing hate. “We denounce hate, we denounce anti-Semitism and we denounce the rhetoric we expect to hear on Sunday,” Bowser said. “They are wrong.”
The article is from the Xinhua News Agency. opinion@globaltimes.com.cn