Richard Spencer and his white nationalist friends have been at it again. The face of the alt-right led another rally in Charlottesville on Saturday night, coinciding with the University of Virginia’s bicentennial celebration.
Just like in August, the group once again marched through campus, carrying tiki torches and chanting. And, once again, they rallied around the memorial statue of Robert E. Lee.
The Washington Post reports that Spencer had this to say about the intention of the march:
“Our identity matters. We are not going to stand by and allow people to tear down these symbols of our history and our people – and we’re going to do this again.”
By “our identity,” Spencer is clearly referring to “white identity.” He also claimed this was to show that all of his Charlottesville rallies have shown his group of white nationalists comes in peace. At the rally in August, an angry white nationalist drove his car into a crowd of counter-protesters, killing Heather Heyer.
Both Spencer and NBC reporter Matt Talhelm took video of the march, which brought out about three dozen supporters. They wore khakis and white polos, carried torches, and chanted slogans like “You will not replace us,” and “The South will rise again.”
Ironically, Spencer and his group met at Emancipation Park, which is located off campus. They then marched through the University of Virginia’s campus, eventually congregating at Lee’s statue. Another statement was issued about the rally’s intent:
“You will not erase us. We are about our heritage. Not just us Virginians. Not just as Southerners. But as white people . . . we’ll take a stand. You’ll have to get used to us. We’re going to come back again and again and again.”
Not surprisingly, President Donald Trump has yet to comment on a march of neo-Nazis and white supremacists happening in the year 2017 in the United States. Instead, he spent the morning tweeting about Senator Bob Corker (R-Tenn.). Corker is not seeking reelection, and had some harsh words about Trump’s temperament and intelligence.
So, naturally, that’s a more important thing for Trump to address.
The rally in August drew serious attention, whereas Spencer and crew tried to keep this one more secretive before it happened. Watch a few of the despicable displays below, and remember that this is happening in the United States right now.
Back in Charlottesville https://t.co/0iwH1CT8sT
— Richard ? Spencer (@RichardBSpencer) October 7, 2017
White nationalists now chanting – “We will be back”. About 3 dozen supporters in Emancipation Park. Plenty of police on standby in park. pic.twitter.com/LuJEsAgxQy
— Matt Talhelm (@MattTalhelm) October 7, 2017
Featured image via Flickr user Evan Nesterak / CC BY 2.0.
