Reprinted with permission from Shareblue.
The organizers of the white supremacist riot that led to the murder of Heather Heyer last year could only muster a handful of supporters for their much-publicized second “Unite the Right” rally in Washington, DC this weekend.
A group of only about 20 to 30 protesters, led by Charlottesville organizer Jason Kessler, showed up for the “Unite the Right 2” rally in Washington, DC, on Sunday, the Washington Post and DCistreport.
And that handful of white supremacists was dwarfed by thousands of anti-racist counter-protesters.
While DC transit officials had promised that Kessler’s group would not be given any special treatment on Metro, the city’s subway system, DCist notes that “reporters have been documenting a concerted effort to keep the groups separate, including the use of private cars.”
When Kessler’s followers emerged from the Metro station, they were met by “large groups” of jeering counter-protesters from 40 different anti-racism groups, CNN reports.
Videos of the march posted on social media show the small group being flanked by a phalanx of police escorts, and surrounded by what appear to be hundreds of counter-protesters chanting, “You are not welcome here!”
The white supremacist marchers staged their protest in Lafayette Park across from the White House — while Trump continues to vacation at his golf resort in Bedminster, New Jersey.
Trump marked the one-year anniversary of the racist violence in Charlottesville by issuing a statement that once again failed to single out or condemn white supremacists.
Last year, Trump said there were “very fine people on both sides,” equating neo-Nazis with the people opposing their hatred.
This year, Trump said, “I condemn all types of racism and acts of violence” — a statement that might sound innocuous at first, but is actually a dog whistle to his white followers, including Kessler and his fellow racists, who believe they face racial discrimination for being white.
It’s an encouraging sign to see just how badly these white supremacist thugs were outnumbered in our nation’s capital. But it remains disturbing that their racist-in-chief, Trump, still occupies the White House.
Published with permission of The American Independent.
