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The One Year Anniversary of Unite the Right is Here. A lot Has Happened

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RVA Tank, Parkland Shooting, Democratic-nominee Spanberger, families separated at the border, KKK effigies, Governor Northam, punching Nazis, getting punched by Nazis.

It’s been a long year.

As we approach the one year anniversary of Unite the Right, the alt-right rally held in Charlottesville on Aug. 12 last year that ended with the death of counter-protester Heather Heyer, it’s hard to ignore the tension in the air. Whether that tension has increased or decreased, or the political dissension within our country is better or worse, Americans are certainly motivated. We’ve seen protest after protest, breaking news stories flying in each day with news of Russia, North Korea, Robert Mueller, Corey Stewart, and Jason Kessler.

The white nationalist movement has not slowed down, nor has it given up. Identity Evropa came to Richmond to pick up trash in hopes of normalizing their cause. The FBI has as many open cases concerning white supremacist propaganda online as they do for ISIS. And Unite the Right is happening again, but this time, its headed to Washington, D.C.

Here is a brief roundup of events from the past year to get you up to speed on the white nationalist movement in Virginia in preparation for this weekend’s latest appearance from our best-known racists (this list may not include every event related to white nationalism in Virginia):

August 2017: Jason Kessler, online blogger, and white nationalist, successfully organizes an alt-right rally called Unite the Right on Aug. 12 in Charlottesville, in the name of protecting the Confederate statues in two local parks. Several physical altercations occurred during the rally, and attendees were armed with bats, guns, or other weapons.

White Supremacists at Unite the Right

James Alex Fields, Jr., a white nationalist, drove his vehicle into a crowd of counter-protesters after the rally was deemed unlawful by police. His attack killed Heather Heyer and injured multiple others. Fields was part of Vanguard America, a white supremacist organization. He was placed in jail and denied bail.

President Trump suggested the blame for the violence rested with “many sides.”

September 2017: The Dreamers, young first-generation immigrants protected by the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals act, mobilized after Trump’s threat to end the program. Long marches between Charlottesville and Richmond as well as Charlottesville and Washington sprung up as September clung to summer temperatures. DACA was rescinded later that month by Trump, but at least temporarily upheld by the Supreme Court.

An activist group hung Ku Klux Klan effigies in Bryan Park.

The New Confederate States of America planned a rally in Richmond to support Confederate statues on Monument Avenue, claiming to be motivated by the Monument Avenue Historical Commission convened in June by Mayor Levar Stoney and tasked with providing recommendations for what to do with the statues. The rally took place on Sept. 16, attended by over 400 counter-protesters, a heavy police presence, and a small handful of CSA members who arrived in twos and threes. The CSA was severely outnumbered in what RVA Mag called a “win for Richmond,” as the protest ended peacefully.

Counter-Protestors in Richmond

Later that month, the FBI claimed white nationalists are just as dangerous as Islamic terrorists.

October 2017: At the beginning of the month, a circuit court judge in Charlottesville handed down a ruling signaling that the Commonwealth’s laws protecting war memorials could be retroactively applied to Virginia’s Confederate monuments.

The City of Charlottesville and several small businesses in the area filed a novel lawsuit to prevent future militia groups from entering their city again. This lawsuit is ongoing and continues to seek a verdict in August of 2018. Six defendants have settled since May 2018.

White nationalist Richard Spencer held a torch-lit rally in Emancipation Park in Charlottesville, glorifying the Robert E. Lee monument and mimicking a similar torch-lit rally held on UVA’s campus the night before Unite the Right. Around two dozen white nationalists were present.

Jason Kessler began a new white nationalist group called New Byzantium following Unite the Right. It’s one of many new alt-right groups that continue to crop up to this day, largely spread through online forums.

November 2017: In a Democratic sweep, Ralph Northam became the new Governor of Virginia, joined by Justin Fairfax as Lt. Governor, and Mark Herring as Attorney General. It was a significant Democratic victory similar to the victory of then-Senator Obama when he won the presidency in 2008. The blue wave was accompanied by a new wave of female representatives in the General Assembly, the largest number of women to be elected to the GA in Virginia’s history. This included the first Latina women, the first Asian-American, and the first transgender woman to win a seat in the GA.

January 2018: Chris Cantwell, the notorious “Crying Nazi,” faced up to 20 years in jail for pepper-spraying counter-protesters at a torch-lit white supremacist rally on UVA’s campus the night before Unite the Right. At the beginning of the month, he attempted to sue anti-fascists, claiming that they discharged the pepper spray against themselves.

Thousands of women come to Richmond for the one-year anniversary of the Women’s March.

March 2018: Deandre Harris, a black man viciously beaten by white nationalists during the Unite the Right, was charged and then acquitted of assault by the District Court in Charlottesville. During Unite the Right, Harris was assaulted by six men with wooden pikes in the Market Street Parking Garage, eventually sustaining a spinal injury and receiving 10 staples in his head.

June 2018: Nathan Larson, a self-confessed pedophile and white supremacist, runs for Congress in Virginia. Previously an accountant in Charlottesville, Larson is running as an independent. Jason Allsup, another white nationalist who attended the Unite the Right rally, was elected as a Republican official in Washington state. This marked the beginning of many white supremacists and anti-Semitic candidates running on the Republican ticket in America ahead of midterm elections. This trend continued with Corey Stewart, Virginia’s Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate. He appeared on CNN and struggled to answer questions about his past ties to white supremacists and anti-semites. He continues to be aggressive online and has not revoked his white nationalist ties.

Abigail Spanberger, the Democratic nominee for Virginia’s 7th District, wins a huge primary victory and will run against Dave Brat in the fall for the congressional seat.

Abigail Spanberger

President Trump begins his “zero tolerance” immigration policies and enacts legislation that separates immigrant children from their parents at the U.S.-Mexico border. National and international outrage sparks protests throughout the Commonwealth, including one outside Dave Brat’s office, who publicly supported Trump’s decision.

The National Parks Service approved an application submitted by Jason Kessler for another alt-right rally to be held in Washington, D.C. on Aug. 11 and 12 this year. This will come to pass this weekend in Lafayette Park, Washington, D.C.

Identity Evropa visited Richmond for a little community service by picking up trash around town in an attempt to normalize their organization and beliefs. In Lexington, local restaurant owner Stephanie Wilkinson refused to service White House Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders at her restaurant, The Red Hen. It was followed by five days of protests against and for her restaurant. In one instance, someone threw chicken feces on their storefront window.

July 2018: The Monument Avenue Commission recommended that the Jefferson Davis monument be removed from Monument Avenue, with Mayor Stoney’s approval. Later in August, an unknown individual vandalized the Robert E. Lee monument with red paint, writing “BLM” (Black Lives Matter) on the statue’s base. This is only the latest act of vandalism concerning the statues over the past year.

Chris Cantwell, the aforementioned “crying Nazi,” was barred from entering the Commonwealth for the next five years. He plead guilty to assault and battery for spraying two anti-racist activists with pepper spray the night before Unite the Right.

August 2018:

Now that August approaches, we look to another year that will hopefully not result in death or injury. Jason Kessler will be in D.C. this Sunday, Aug. 12, in Lafayette Square to march and protest in the name of “white civil rights.” Regular faces like Kessler, Spencer and former KKK Grand Wizard David Duke are said to appear and speak, although the movement has suffered serious divisions and other prominent white nationalists are disavowing Kessler.

A vigil will be held on Saturday, Aug. 11, in Charlottesville at 5 p.m. for Heather Heyer, in remembrance of her life, as well as an anti-racist march the next day in an attempt to heal from the events of last year.

Stay with RVA Mag on Instagram (@rvamag) and Twitter (@RVAmag)  for updates on these events this coming weekend.

Ku Klux Klan Recruitment Flyers Found on Cars in Staunton, Virginia

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According to the police in Staunton, the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) distributed recruitment flyers on residents’ cars yesterday. Local resident Lydia Roberts posted the flyer left on her car to Facebook. The flyer was headed with “Black Lives Matter” followed by the text, “are killing white people and police officers in the name of justice for the killing of negro’s by policemen in the line of duty.” The flyer goes on to say “Join the Ku Klux Klan” and lists a bunch of reasons to do so, including, “We are the invisible empire, have been for 150 years. ” Her post, now shared over 274 times, highlights the deep concerns people in the community have over the public display of recruitment by the hate group in her town.

Roberts spoke with RVA Mag about finding the flyer on her car. “I was walking up the hill and noticed these flyers on every single one of them [cars] I was walking past.” According to Roberts, the flyers were folded in a way that showed the Black Lives Matter header, “was facing up. That is what you could read when you were walking past… they were folded like that on purpose so that people would read that first.” She estimated that at least 50 flyers were left on the cars where hers was parked.

Police in Staunton told the News Leader that the flyers were objectionable, but “would be treated as any other handbill.” According to the police spokesperson, this is a Class 4 misdemeanor. RVA Mag called the hotline number listed on the flyer and was directed to a voice message that stated, “We all hear the fairy tale of six-million Jews died by the hands of Nazis during World War 2, but what they do not tell you is why. Under Lenin’s orders killed 68 million white Christians during the Russian Revolution… the Jewish hatred for white Christians turned the streets of Europe blood red.” The message concluded with, “Save our land, join the Klan… If you are white and proud, join the crowd,” and directed listeners to go to a website that is currently not listed. This sort of Holocaust denial and anti-Semitism has been one of the foundations for the kinds of white identity politics that are endemic throughout hate groups such as the Ku Klux Klan, as well as more contemporary white nationalist, supremacist, and alt-right groups.

The KKK marched in Charlottesville this past summer over the planned removal of a statue glorifying Confederate General Robert E. Lee. This was followed by a storm of white nationalist activity throughout the Commonwealth, culminating in the terrorist attack at the Unite the Right rally on August 12 in Charlottesville. While the KKK’s numbers have dwindled in recent years, providing space for more modern hate groups, they are the oldest active terrorist group in the US, making their re-emergence into public life a very real threat.

“I work and am very active in my community and love this place, and this is scary. People don’t realize that this is still happening. That is the reason I posted it to Facebook,” said Roberts. She finished with, “Active racism still happens every day.”

Protesters, Police, and Frenzy: A day at the KKK rally in Charlottesville

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It seemed somewhat absurd–surreal, even–that an area amounting to .0006 of a square mile in a town of just over 45,000 people would cause such dissension and frenzy.

Yet here they were, the citizens of Charlottesville, VA, marching in circles around a 96-year-old statue waiting for the impending arrival of the most infamous white supremacy group in history, one which most believe had died around 1871. But that was nearly 150 years ago, and old habits have a way of peeking out from the gloom of extremist counter-culture.

By 2 p.m., almost 1,000 protesters had flocked to this tiny park with signs, banners, horns, whistles, drums, and a great deal of frustration. Colorful origami cranes hung from the trees and gold glitter had been poured onto the sidewalk surrounding the park, making everything sparkle.

Some protesters were community members who gathered with a list of demands for Mayor Singer, such as “Revoke the permit for the Aug. 12 ‘Unite the Right March’” and “Remove the Lee and Jackson statues, now.” Some were from Black Lives Matter, both the Charlottesville chapter and surrounding areas, while others were from Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ), Antifascists of the Seven Hills (ANTIFA), ACLU and the Charlottesville Clergy Collective.

All were there to oppose the presence of The Loyal White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan of North Carolina, who traveled to the modest park in opposition of the removal of the Jackson and Lee monuments. The City of Charlottesville voted to remove these monuments this past April.

But the KKK had yet to arrive.

Others, however, sporting Harley Davidson attire were walking through the crowd and receiving some quick judgement by the protestors, some of which accused them of being KKK members. Rather, they were there to protest the use of citizen tax dollars in order to remove the statue.

“Next they’re going to take down Thomas Jefferson’s statue,” said one of these men, who preferred not to be identified. “It ain’t never gonna stop.”

A large number of police officers stood around the perimeter of the park, but limited their activities to crowd control. Verbal fights were constant, yet the arguments never became physical and police officers were always close by prepared for potential violence.

“[This event] is hard because of the numbers, and we’re using all the resources we have,” Charlottesville Police Sergeant Gibson said. “Hopefully, it all works out and remains peaceful.”

Members of ANTIFA passed out informational memos, warning Charlottesville residents about the third white nationalist “Unite the Right” rally scheduled for August 12.

“I feel it’s important to show people are united against racism and hate,” Blackbird said, a member of ANTIFA who chose to use a pseudonym. “These people shouldn’t have a platform. While the Klan as a group is discredited and likely to have low numbers today, August 12th is ‘Unite the Right’ and they need to know we’re not going to take it.”

Many were incredulous that an event like this were to happen in 2017, but were hopeful the protest would remain peaceful while they exercised First Amendment rights.  

“You can’t sit by when the Klan comes through your backyard,” said Nina Zinsser, a member of SURJ. “You can be peaceful, but voices can still be heard.”

Nearby, a group of protesters surrounded an older couple wearing Confederate flag caps and t-shirts, upset by their presence. The couple made no indication they were KKK affiliated, but disliked the vote removing the monuments.  

“I’m here today to support and defend American history,” Brian Fisher said, a resident of West Virginia. “Was slavery wrong? Absolutely. Was the Confederacy wrong for seceding from the Union? I believe it could have been more thought out by the officials that were in charge in that day in time. But you know what? It’s past history, we can’t change it, but we can support the continuation of American history so it can continue to be taught in our schools to our future children so that they don’t repeat past mistakes.”

Even throughout his explanation, surrounding protesters heckled the couple while forming a semicircle of banners around them. Fisher remained quiet and calm, the lines in his face running deep.

One of the women who stood near this encounter was staunchly against the presence of the statue, as well as the appearance of the KKK.

“The statue represents the Confederacy, represents a negative history, so by taking it down it represents a change, and thinking about the people who see that statue and reminds them of people who thought they were less than human,” said Shay Sanders, an African American resident from Charlottesville.

The protesters continued to march in circles or have conversations to the sides of the park, but the humidity rose as anticipation increased, and a viscous anxiety seemed to loom above the park.

Suddenly, the crowd rushed to the street in front of Charlottesville Circuit Court, from which KKK members were anticipated to emerge. Although their permit was scheduled for 3 p.m., minutes passed with no sign of the group.

Police, however, were making extravagant preparations.

Two rows of Virginia State Police Officers wearing full riot gear, while carrying automatic rifles, made a path that led directly to a blocked-off section of Justice Park. People packed themselves into any space available outside this police pathway, chanting, “When black lives are under attack, what do we do? Stand up, fight back,” and enduring the heavy, oppressive heat of the Charlottesville afternoon. 

Finally at 3:40 p.m., the KKK members made their way through the pathway created by the police, with an underwhelming number of members present. The permit, which the group submitted last month, included an estimate of 100 people; However, no more than 50 were present this Saturday.

“It means disorganization,” said David Straughn, a member of the Black Lives Matter Charlottesville chapter, who explained why he believes so few KKK members showed up. “I think it shows fear, that some members did not want to come for fear of being in their costumes and being screamed and yelled at…” 

He continued, “But it just shows that they’re not as serious about their cause as we are, and they’re not as willing to come and stand up for their hateful ideology as we are willing to stand up for our diverse, understanding, beautiful ideology.”

Straughn walked through the crowd shouting chants into a megaphone while KKK members waved their KKK and Confederate flags in front of the Jackson monument. While the KKK shouted phrases like, “White power,” the surrounding crowd created so much noise, the KKK chants were almost completely drowned out.

“The Klan being here does not represent the people of Charlottesville,” Straughn said. “All these people here did not want this to happen. That means a lot for people of color who have undergone trauma from experiences like this by the Klan, and who have had parents, who have had grandparents who have Klan-affiliated tragedy.”

At 4 p.m., the end of the KKK’s permit, the crowd began chanting phrases such as, “Time’s up, racists go home,” and “Cops and Klan go hand in hand.” Despite this, the group stayed for just under an hour and were escorted out the same way they processed in.

As evening approached, the protesters moved into the street and gathered outside the Albemarle County Sheriff’s Office. While KKK members tried to exit in their cars, the crowd remained in the street, hindering their ability to leave.

At 4:40 p.m., Deputy Chief Gary Pleasants declared the present assembly of people “unlawful” (VIDEO LINK) and warned “chemical agents” would be used on those who remained.

After protesters linked arms and formed a line on E High Street, police shot three canisters of tear gas into the crowd. The protesters immediately dispersed.

In all, twenty-three protesters were arrested after refusing to move and charged with misdemeanor offenses.

According to The Daily Progress, Jeff Fogel, a Charlottesville attorney who was observing Saturday’s events for the National Lawyers Guild, said riot police should not have remained in the area after the KKK had left, as the continuing presence of heavily armored police provoked the remaining protesters into a confrontation.

By the end of the day, the surrealism of the event had sunk in. A small group of non-local white supremacists had sent the town and state into a frenzy. Only few people remained in the park, some of which were clergy members from the Charlottesville Clergy Collective, offering prayer and open conversation.

When asked why the Clergy Collective decided to come that day, Rev. Dr. Heather Warren simply replied they were there to “spread love.”

Yet all sides believed their presence in this park was the right one, with absolute passion and certainty. One side greatly outnumbered the other, however–a side that represented a progressive modern ideology, which may finally signal the end of these conical hat-wearing white supremacists–but the presence of free speech was clear.

There were more than just two groups of people in that little Charlottesville park on Saturday, and each of them was able to stand in it and protest whatever they wished.

And that would have made the writers of the First Amendment proud.

*Photos by Madelyne Ashworth and Landon Shroder. Video cut by Charles Rasputin.

Former KKK leader David Duke calls on followers to attend ‘Unite the Right’ rally in Charlottesville

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As Charlottesville braces for tomorrow’s Ku Klux Klan rally, former KKK Imperial Wizard, anti-Semite, and white supremacist antagonist David Duke is already drawing attention to another white nationalist rally taking place in August.

On August 12, at Emancipation Park an event titled, ‘Unite the Right’ will be hosted by white nationalist, Jason Kessler. According to city officials, the permit indicated that close to 400 people will attend the event, which will take place between 12:00 and 5:00 pm.

Duke’s tweet simply read, “Be there -> the fake news will be” and was accompanied by an image referring to the demonstration location as ‘Lee Park’.

Charlottesville’s City Council unanimously voted to rename the park Emancipation Park on June 5, after a lengthy study by the ‘Blue Ribbon Commission on Race, Memorials and Public Spaces’ commission. The commission also recommended removing the statues that celebrate Confederate General Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson. This study also found, amongst other things that:

“The Lee and Jackson statues embodied the Lost Cause interpretation of the Civil War, which romanticized the Confederate past and suppressed the horrors of slavery and slavery’s role as the fundamental cause of the war while affirming the enduring role of white supremacy.”

In recent years, Duke, a former Louisiana State Representative who rose to prominence in the 1980s with an ill-advised run for president has re-emerged as a popular figure in white supremacist political circles. He has remained a staunch holocaust denier, anti-Semite, and purveyor of alt-right ideology that pushes the superiority of western civilization. Internationally, he has also worked to organize extreme right wing political parties by bringing ethno-nationalist groups together to push the values of ‘European Peoples‘.

This ideology has been proudly embraced by the ‘Unite the Right’ organizer, Jason Kessler who also represents a chapter of the Proud Boys in Charlottesville, a white nationalist group established by estranged founder of VICE, Gavin McInnes. Masking their supremacist rhetoric in calls to support western civilization and “refusing to apologize for creating the modern world”, the Proud Boys have become one of the latest incarnation of white nationalist re-emergence.

Read more about the Proud Boys in an RVA Mag story here.

Charlottesville has recently become a flashpoint for white nationalist rallies and alt-right provocateurs. According to the ‘Unite the Right’ Facebook page, their Free Speech Rally next month in Lee Park seeks to “…unify the right-wing against a totalitarian Communist crackdown, to speak out against displacement level immigration policies in the United States and Europe and to affirm the right of Southerners and white people to organize for their interests just like any other group is able to do, free of persecution.”

This rally on August 12, followed so shortly after tomorrow’s KKK rally, will continue to stress the ability of the sleepy Shenandoah town to deal with the the larger issues of race and politics throughout the Commonwealth.