Richard Spencer Leads White Nationalists Group in Charlottesville, Again
The Charlottesville Police Department has issued a statement saying that Richard Spencer and 40 – 50 other individuals held a tiki-torch lit rally Saturday in Emancipation Park.
By Rakesh Raman
The Charlottesville controversy refuses to die down. A group of over 40 white nationalists appeared again Saturday in Emancipation Park carrying tiki torches. Among them was “alt-right” white nationalist Richard Spencer.
The group gathered around the shrouded statue of Robert E. Lee. According to media reports, the members of the group were shouting “you will not replace us” and “we will be back.”
Earlier in August, hundreds of white supremacists, neo-Nazis, and members of the Ku Klux Klan had assembled in Charlottesville for a rally called Unite the Right.
They protested the removal of the statue of confederate general Robert E. Lee on the University of Virginia campus. The rally was part of a series of protests that began in May after the Charlottesville City Council voted to remove the Lee statue.
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A Facebook page “Save the Robert E. Lee Statue” is providing information to preserve and defend historic monuments and memorials.
When a conflict took place in August between white supremacists and the locals who supported the removal of the statue, President Trump issued the statement, “We condemn in the strongest possible terms this egregious display of hatred, bigotry and violence on many sides, on many sides.”
With his “many sides” remarks, Trump equated local Charlottesville citizens with white supremacists for which he was criticized by different sections of Americans.
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However, David Duke, a well-known white nationalists and former Grand Wizard of Ku Klux Klan, praised Trump saying that Trump was elected by the white men of America so he could protect the interests of white supremacists. Duke suggests that America is only for whites where other minority groups such as Jews, Muslims, and Blacks have no place.
Meanwhile, the Charlottesville Police Department has issued a statement saying that Richard Spencer and 40 – 50 other individuals held a tiki-torch lit rally Saturday in Emancipation Park that lasted 5 – 10 minutes.
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“No disorders occurred during this rally. Spencer and his group then left the park, boarded a tour bus at another location and left the City of Charlottesville. Officers with our department then followed the tour bus to ensure that the group was leaving the city,” according to the police statement.
Spencer, however, said police have no authority to ban American citizens from Charlottesville.
Lol. How are we “cowards”? We came back. Also, you have no authority to ban American citizens from C’ville, doofus. https://t.co/tsTbqyb6Ow
— Richard ☝🏻Spencer (@RichardBSpencer) October 8, 2017
The police statement added that the police department is conferring with city leadership and the Commonwealth Attorney’s office to determine what legal action may be taken in response to this event.
By Rakesh Raman, who is a government’s National award-winning journalist and social activist. He has formed an environment-protection group called Green Group in Delhi. Earlier, he had been associated with the United Nations (UN) through United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) as a digital media expert to help businesses use technology for brand marketing and business development. He also runs a free school for deserving children under his NGO – RMN Foundation.
Photo courtesy: Save the Robert E. Lee Statue
