Breaking News
I watched live video of a grey American Sports car striking many anti-white supremacist demonstrators. You could see it plow through many of the liberal Demonstrators then it hit two other cars, then it backed up quickly with angry men chasing it on foot because of the harm it had caused to demonstrators. Many are in the hospital now from injuries. It is thought now that the driver of the grey sports car has been taken into custody and put in jail.
begin quote from:
Car strikes crowd after street fighting erupts at white nationalists rally in Charlottesville
State of emergency declared amid violence at Charlottesville's 'Unite the Right' rally
Story highlights
- State, local emergencies declared as fistfights break out
- Torch-bearing white nationalists marched Friday night
Charlottesville, Virginia (CNN)[Breaking news update, published at 3:06 p.m. ET]
Several
pedestrians were struck Saturday in a three-vehicle crash in
Charlottesville, Virginia, after police began dispersing demonstrators
from a white-nationalist and right-wing rally, the Virginia State Police
said on Twitter. There are "multiple injuries," police said.
Video
of the incident shows a gray Dodge Challenger driving quickly down a
narrow side street lined with walking protesters. The sports car rams
into the back of a silver convertible, and soon the Dodge driver slams
the car in reverse, going back up the street at a high rate of speed,
dragging its front bumper. Several people chase the car. As the sports
car retreats, a red athletic shoe falls off the bumper.
[Original story, published at 2:10 p.m. ET]
Virginia's
governor declared an emergency, and police worked to disperse hundreds
of protesters in Charlottesville after clashes broke out ahead of
Saturday's "Unite the Right" rally of white nationalists and other
right-wing groups.
Fistfights
and screaming matches erupted shortly before rally's scheduled noon ET
start. The skirmishes unfolded following a scuffle Friday night between
torch-bearing demonstrators and counter-protesters at the nearby
University of Virginia.
Saturday's
rally was the latest event drawing white nationalists and right-wing
activists from across the country to this Democratic-voting college town
-- a development precipitated by the city's decision to remove symbols
of its Confederate past.
Demonstrators clash late Saturday morning in Charlottesville, Virginia.
Here are the latest developments:
• President Donald Trump tweeted:
"We ALL must be united & condemn all that hate stands for. There is
no place for this kind of violence in America. Lets come together as
one!"
• Police began to break up
crowds shortly before noon after city officials declared the gathering
an "unlawful assembly." Police officers spoke on bullhorns, directing
people to leave.
Photos: Violence erupts at a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia
White
nationalists, neo-Nazis and members of the "alt-right" movement
exchange volleys of pepper spray with counter protesters as they enter
Emancipation Park.
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Photos: Violence erupts at a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia
A white nationalist beats a counter protesters with a pipe during the "Unite the Right" rally.
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Photos: Violence erupts at a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia
A counter protester uses a lighted spray can against a white nationalist at the entrance to Emancipation Park.
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Photos: Violence erupts at a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia
A counter protester throws a newspaper box at a white nationalist at the entrance to Emancipation Park.
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Photos: Violence erupts at a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia
Counter
protesters wait outside the park as white nationalists, neo-Nazis and
members of the "alt-right" movement are forced out after the "Unite the
Right" rally was declared unlawful.
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Photos: Violence erupts at a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia
A white nationalist is cut below his eye during clashes with counter protesters at Emancipation Park .
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Photos: Violence erupts at a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia
A
woman is treated for exposure to pepper spray during clashes between
white nationalists and counter protestors at Emancipation Park.
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Photos: Violence erupts at a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia
State
Police in riot gear guard Emancipation Park on Saturday after a white
nationalist demonstration was declared unlawful and the park was
cleared. Hundreds of people chanted, threw punches, hurled water bottles
and unleashed chemical sprays on each other after violence erupted at
the white nationalist rally.
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Photos: Violence erupts at a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia
A
statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee stands behind a crowd of
white nationalists, neo-Nazis and members of the "alt-right" movement
during the "Unite the Right" rally on August 12, 2017 in
Charlottesville, Virginia. After clashes with counter protesters and
police, the rally was declared an unlawful gathering and protesters were
forced out of Lee Park, where the statue is slated to be removed.
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Photos: Violence erupts at a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia
White nationalists marching down East Market Street toward Emancipation Park are confronted by counter protesters.
Hide Caption
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Photos: Violence erupts at a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia
White nationalists, neo-Nazis and members of the "alt-right" movement gather for a "Unite the Right" rally in Charlottesville.
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Photos: Violence erupts at a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia
White nationalists use shields as they guard the entrance to Emancipation Park.
Hide Caption
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Photos: Violence erupts at a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia
White nationalists, neo-Nazis and members of the "alt-right" clash with counter protesters.
Hide Caption
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Photos: Violence erupts at a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia
White
nationalists, neo-Nazis and members of the "alt-right" clash with
counter protesters as they enter Emancipation Park during the "Unite the
Right" rally.
Hide Caption
6 of 15
Photos: Violence erupts at a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia
White nationalist Richard Spencer and his supporters clash with Virginia State Police in Emancipation Park.
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Photos: Violence erupts at a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia
White
nationalists, neo-Nazis and members of the "alt-right" movement
exchange volleys of pepper spray with counter protesters as they enter
Emancipation Park.
Hide Caption
8 of 15
Photos: Violence erupts at a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia
A white nationalist beats a counter protesters with a pipe during the "Unite the Right" rally.
Hide Caption
9 of 15
Photos: Violence erupts at a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia
A counter protester uses a lighted spray can against a white nationalist at the entrance to Emancipation Park.
Hide Caption
10 of 15
Photos: Violence erupts at a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia
A counter protester throws a newspaper box at a white nationalist at the entrance to Emancipation Park.
Hide Caption
11 of 15
Photos: Violence erupts at a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia
Counter
protesters wait outside the park as white nationalists, neo-Nazis and
members of the "alt-right" movement are forced out after the "Unite the
Right" rally was declared unlawful.
Hide Caption
12 of 15
Photos: Violence erupts at a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia
A white nationalist is cut below his eye during clashes with counter protesters at Emancipation Park .
Hide Caption
13 of 15
Photos: Violence erupts at a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia
A
woman is treated for exposure to pepper spray during clashes between
white nationalists and counter protestors at Emancipation Park.
Hide Caption
14 of 15
Photos: Violence erupts at a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia
State
Police in riot gear guard Emancipation Park on Saturday after a white
nationalist demonstration was declared unlawful and the park was
cleared. Hundreds of people chanted, threw punches, hurled water bottles
and unleashed chemical sprays on each other after violence erupted at
the white nationalist rally.
Hide Caption
15 of 15
Photos: Violence erupts at a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia
A
statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee stands behind a crowd of
white nationalists, neo-Nazis and members of the "alt-right" movement
during the "Unite the Right" rally on August 12, 2017 in
Charlottesville, Virginia. After clashes with counter protesters and
police, the rally was declared an unlawful gathering and protesters were
forced out of Lee Park, where the statue is slated to be removed.
Hide Caption
1 of 15
Photos: Violence erupts at a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia
White nationalists marching down East Market Street toward Emancipation Park are confronted by counter protesters.
Hide Caption
2 of 15
Photos: Violence erupts at a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia
White nationalists, neo-Nazis and members of the "alt-right" movement gather for a "Unite the Right" rally in Charlottesville.
Hide Caption
3 of 15
Photos: Violence erupts at a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia
White nationalists use shields as they guard the entrance to Emancipation Park.
Hide Caption
4 of 15
Photos: Violence erupts at a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia
White nationalists, neo-Nazis and members of the "alt-right" clash with counter protesters.
Hide Caption
5 of 15
Photos: Violence erupts at a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia
White
nationalists, neo-Nazis and members of the "alt-right" clash with
counter protesters as they enter Emancipation Park during the "Unite the
Right" rally.
Hide Caption
6 of 15
Photos: Violence erupts at a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia
White nationalist Richard Spencer and his supporters clash with Virginia State Police in Emancipation Park.
Hide Caption
7 of 15
Photos: Violence erupts at a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia
White
nationalists, neo-Nazis and members of the "alt-right" movement
exchange volleys of pepper spray with counter protesters as they enter
Emancipation Park.
Hide Caption
8 of 15
• The declaration was made after fistfights and screaming matches erupted in several locations late Saturday morning.
• Some protesters fired pepper spray at other demonstrators, state police said.
• Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe declared a state of emergency "to aid state response to violence," according to a post on his Twitter account.
• An unspecified number of protesters have been arrested in Charlottesville, state police said.
Police in riot gear stood
shoulder to shoulder behind shields early Saturday afternoon, at times
advancing toward crowds, CNN video shows. Members of the Virginia
National Guard also were there.
By 1
p.m. ET, police had cleared the park where the rally was to be held. It
wasn't immediately clear how many demonstrators remained in other parts
of the city.
"It is now clear
that public safety cannot be safeguarded without additional powers, and
that the mostly out-of-state protesters have come to Virginia to
endanger our citizens and property," McAullife said. "I am disgusted by
the hatred, bigotry and violence these protesters have brought to our
state over the past 24 hours."
It
wasn't immediately clear what led to the fights, though tensions and
rhetoric were running hot. At one point, a few dozen white men wearing
helmets and holding makeshift shields chanted, "Blood and soil!" Later,
another group chanted slogans like, "Nazi scum off our streets!"
Demonstrators gather Saturday ahead of a "Unite the Right" rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.
People
punched and kicked each other during various scuffles, which often were
broken up from within crowds, without police intervention, CNN video
shows.
Earlier, a group of clergy and other counter-demonstrators, including activist and Harvard professor Cornel West, held hands, prayed and sang, "This Little Light of Mine."
Police
presence was heavy, with more than 1,000 officers expected to be
deployed, city officials said. Police anticipated the rally would
attract as many as 2,000 to 6,000 people, and the Southern Poverty Law
Center said it could be the "largest hate-gathering of its kind in
decades in the United States."
Counter-protesters gather Saturday morning in Charlottesville, Virginia, ahead of a "Unite the Right" rally.
White nationalists wield torches
White
nationalists carrying torches surround protesters Friday night at the
foot of a statue of Thomas Jefferson on the University of Virginia's
campus.
Charlottesville,
once home to Thomas Jefferson, is known as a progressive city of about
47,000 people. Eighty percent of its voters choose Hillary Clinton
during last year's election.
But
far-right activists and Ku Klux Klan members have come here in recent
months, outraged by the city's intention to remove traces of its links
to the Confederacy -- including plans to remove a statue of Confederate
Gen. Robert E. Lee.
The effort
developed amid a push by communities across the South to remove
Confederate iconography from public property since the 2015 rampage
killings of nine black churchgoers in Charleston by a self-described white supremacist.
Ahead
of Saturday's planned rally, tensions roiled Friday night as white
nationalists -- some holding what appeared to be backyard tiki-style
torches -- marched onto the University of Virginia's campus.
White nationalists and others march Friday night through the University of Virginia campus.
Chanting,
"Blood and soil" and "You will not replace us," the group rallied
around a statue of Thomas Jefferson before they clashed with
counter-protesters, CNN affiliate WWBT reported. The group left the university's grounds when police arrived and declared the gathering an unlawful assembly.
City and UVA officials condemned Friday's march.
"In
my 47 years of association with @UVA, this was the most nauseating
thing I've ever seen. We need an exorcism on the Lawn," Larry Sabato,
director of the university's Center for Politics tweeted.
Charlottesville Mayor Mike
Signer released a statement referring to Friday's rally as a "cowardly
parade of hatred, bigotry, racism, and intolerance march down the lawns
of the architect of our Bill of Rights."
"Everyone
has a right under the First Amendment to express their opinion
peaceably, so here's mine: not only as the Mayor of Charlottesville, but
as a UVA faculty member and alumnus, I am beyond disgusted by this
unsanctioned and despicable display of visual intimidation on a college
campus," he added.
Friday's march took place
shortly after a federal judge granted a temporary injunction allowing
right-wing activists to hold Saturday's rally.
City
officials had tried to "modify" the rally's permit to move the
demonstration from the park with the Lee statue more than a mile away to
McIntire Park, citing safety concerns.
'We're going to start standing up for our history'
In
February, the city council voted to remove the Lee statue, but that is
on hold pending litigation. The council also voted to rename two city
parks that had been named for Confederate generals; one of those,
Emancipation Park, was due to be the site of Saturday's rally.
Jason
Kessler, who organized Saturday's "Unite the Right" rally, said he
doesn't consider himself to be a white nationalist. But, he said, "we're
going to start standing up for our history."
"The
statue itself is symbolic of a lot of larger issues. The primary three
issues are preserving history against this censorship and revisionism --
this political correctness," he told CNN Friday.
"The
second issue is being allowed to advocate for your interests as a white
person, just like other groups are allowed to advocate for their
interests politically. And finally this is about free speech. We are
simply trying to express ourselves and do a demonstration, and the local
government has tried to shut us down."
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