WATCH: Armed KKK Members Hold Rally to Save Confederate Statue, Police Arrest Counter-Protesters
The Civil War Ended in 1865
Ku Klux Klan Members protesting a Virginia city’s decision to remove a statue honoring Confederate General Robert E. Lee began their event tensely this afternoon, easily outnumbered by counter-protesters.
There are still ~50 #KKK members at #CharlottesvilleKKK rally. Have been in protest ring for around 30 mins. #protest pic.twitter.com/p6hDgPrfnN
— Bo Erickson (@BoKnowsNews) July 8, 2017
“The Loyal White Knights†chapter of the KKK, headquartered in North Carolina near Virginia, reportedly planned the event over a month in advance, with a member of the group telling The Washington Times that “most†of those at the rally would have their guns.
“Our approach all the way through, from our police chief on down, has been to urge people not to take this totally discredited fringe organization’s putrid bait at all,†the city’s Mayor Michael Signer said in a statement. “The only thing they seem to want is division and confrontation and a twisted kind of celebrity.â€
“The most successful defiance will be to refuse to take their bait and continue to tell our story,†he continued. “Then their memory of Charlottesville will be of a community that repudiated them by not getting drawn into their pathetic drama.†Â
Despite this, the KKK’s event began late, partially due to the massive number of counter-protesters blocking their entry to the former Lee Park, now Emancipation Park. This included arrests of some counter-protesters:
VIDEO: Police arrest protesters at KKK ‘rally’ pic.twitter.com/bRy26A0fmx
— News This Second (@NewsThisSecond) July 8, 2017
Protesters have been arrested and led away by police at the KKK rally in Justice Park. pic.twitter.com/MtVDNuSB89
— The Cavalier Daily (@cavalierdaily) July 8, 2017
Arrests have begun ahead of KKK rally in Charlottesville pic.twitter.com/Naom4MoIx7
— Tal Axelrod (@talstales) July 8, 2017
Additional video, filmed live, can be seen below – though NCRM cautions some language may be found offensive:
LIVE from #CharlottesvilleKKK rally—#KKK still protesting. HUNDREDS of Counter protestors –very loud @ACLU #Charlottesville pic.twitter.com/QuShCGeehW
— Bo Erickson (@BoKnowsNews) July 8, 2017
LIVE: 🇺🇸 Over 100 law enforcement officers are on scene at a KKK rally in #Charlottesville, VA. // @TheSymbioteHopehttps://t.co/x1CqpKfIbr
— Periscope TV News (@PeriscopeTVNews) July 8, 2017
KKK leaving rally pic.twitter.com/QhtKfYfX0x
— Tal Axelrod (@talstales) July 8, 2017Â
To comment on this article and other NCRM content, visit our Facebook page.Â
Â
Enjoy this piece?
… then let us make a small request. The New Civil Rights Movement depends on readers like you to meet our ongoing expenses and continue producing quality progressive journalism. Three Silicon Valley giants consume 70 percent of all online advertising dollars, so we need your help to continue doing what we do.
NCRM is independent. You won’t find mainstream media bias here. From unflinching coverage of religious extremism, to spotlighting efforts to roll back our rights, NCRM continues to speak truth to power. America needs independent voices like NCRM to be sure no one is forgotten.
Every reader contribution, whatever the amount, makes a tremendous difference. Help ensure NCRM remains independent long into the future. Support progressive journalism with a one-time contribution to NCRM, or click here to become a subscriber. Thank you. Click here to donate by check.