Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe declared a state of emergency in Charlottesville, Virginia on Saturday as alt-right Nazis were met by hundreds of counter-protesters as the white supremacist group took to the streets to spread their message of hate and bigotry.
Governor McAuliffe has declared a state of emergency to aid state response to violence at Alt-Right rally in Charlottesville
— Terry McAuliffe (@GovernorVA) August 12, 2017
According to The New York Times, “By 11:35 a.m., the police had retreated, the barricades came down and street fights broke out. People were seen clubbing one another in the streets. Pepper spray filled the air as the police attempted to contain the situation.”
Footage from Charlottesville shows a chaotic and out-of-control scene (WARNING: Some very strong language):
WATCH: Several injured as white nationalists, counter-protesters clash in #Charlottesville @_CraigStanley pic.twitter.com/loUZnvgFJF
— Press TV (@PressTV) August 12, 2017
The Virginia governor’s declaration came just after he posted another tweet calling the violence in Charlottesville “unacceptable” and reminding demonstrators that free speech does not give them license to carry out violent acts.
The acts and rhetoric in #Charlottesville over past 24 hours are unacceptable & must stop. A right to speech is not a right to violence.
— Terry McAuliffe (@GovernorVA) August 12, 2017
The New York Times reported that “several people had been injured, including a University of Virginia police officer,” adding that it’s “unclear if the injuries were serious.”
As Jason Easley of PoliticusUSA wrote earlier, the alt-right demonstrators didn’t hesitate at all in carrying out acts of violence “against those who are standing against racism and bigotry.”
In fact, as the Times also noted, “Saturday’s rally was supposed to start at noon, but the scene at the park had grown chaotic by late morning, with white nationalists and neo-Nazis facing off with Black Lives Matter demonstrators and other counter-protesters.”
The violence spurred by the alt-right rally on Saturday is the latest proof that white supremacist organizations will never be able to win a war of ideas, so they desperately resort to violence against those who stand up to their hate.
Meanwhile, the President of the United States remains silent as, at this hour, he is likely teeing off from one of the fairways at his golf course in Bedminster, New Jersey.
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