'Not in my city': Counterprotesters exceed the number of United White 2 nationalists in DC
Monday, August 13, 2018
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Uniting Right Organizer 2 Jason Kessler said he expected 100 to 400 right-wing activists to attend. About two dozen arrived at the subway station near the White House and were escorted by police to the rally location near Lafayette Square.
Before their arrival, thousands of counterprotesters came out all day to observe the one-year anniversary of the white nationalist rally a year ago in Charlottesville, Virginia. The event, unite the Right the Right first, triggered chaos, violence and resulted in the death of counter-protester Heather Heyer, 32.
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White nationalists wore American flags around their faces and when robes arrived in the city for angry looters and demonstrators. The police drove them on a tight field, blocked by bicycles and motorbikes.
When white nationalists proceeded to Lafayette Square, the counterprotesters tried to push into the group, and at least one person threw what looked like stones in front of the police and the audience. It is not clear if anyone is injured.
"Blow the Nazi face !," a large group of anti-fascist protesters shouted. The group joined the Black Lives Matter protesters and walked back and forth around the heavily guarded perimeter of the White House.
At one point, a counterprotester lit what appeared to be a smoke flare, which caused the Secret Service to take out a stick to disperse the crowd.
Tension increases further when the rain spell comes. Counterprotesters throw water and chemicals in men and women wearing "Trump 2020" T-shirts as they walk away from Lafayette Square.
Some counterprotesters whose faces were covered and wearing all black pushed the pair, pulled their hair and shouted, "How do you like my city now?"
The couple are protected by a group of peacekeepers who hold hands to guard the barrier until they arrive at the police. It is unclear whether the pair is with white nationalists.
While a dozen or more white men were escorted calmly out of Lafayette Square, hundreds of protesters gathered at the intersection of Pennsylvania Avenue and 17th Street. The group, which included Black Lives Matter and anti-fascists, led the march tense through the city, sometimes shouting, "There are no limits! There is no wall! There is no USA at all! "
Some counterprotesters kick signs and trash bins. Finally, the demonstrators met the police directly, and chaos broke out when police began using pepper spray to disperse the demonstrators.
D.C police reported one arrest during a post-demonstration press conference, identifying him as John Mulligan, 44, from Pennsylvania. He allegedly sprayed pepper on someone else's face. When arrested, Mulligan had broken glass, metal bolts, stones and slingshot.
Earlier that day, Kessler began a speech Unite the Right 2, discussing what he saw as an injustice last year in Charlottesville.
"That's why I want to talk to President Trump in the White House," he said. "It was a criminal act by the government of Charlottesville."
Those who watched the speech carried American flags and signs of White Lives Matter. Speakers addressed alleged civil rights violations, including "rape between races of white women" and attacks on white people in South Africa. Others speak more generally about freedom of speech and become Americans, arguing that white people who love their country are considered white whiteists.
Charles Edward Lincoln, the second speaker, criticized the "ruling elite" who "tried to destroy all that was good about the United States."
But his words were almost drowned out by counter-analyst screams.
Earlier that day, rap and reggaeton rang from a large speaker where hundreds of counterprotesters carried anti-fascist flags and signs on Freedom Plaza, a few blocks from the White House. One group shouted, "There is no KKK, there is no fascist in the United States." The atmosphere soared, and it seems that every phrase from the speakers who was excited got cheers from the crowd, accompanied by applause and drums.
"When I first heard that these people came to D.C., I had to say, 'No, not in my city,'" Rev. Graylan Hagler told the crowd.
The speeches were often emotional, and crowds often erupted into songs like "Chop, chop, chop, chop, nonsense, racism must be stopped."
John Walsh, 43, said he traveled from Boston to help ensure that protesters were outnumbered compared to white supremacy.
"I am here to drown out hatred and strengthen this message," he said. "As a white man, middle-aged man, I think I have a voice and feel obliged to use it to fight this madness."
Bob Baker is one of the few counterprotesters whose only symbol of protest is the American flag. He said he did not want to release it to white nationalists who often waved it.
"I am a patriot," he said. "I really love my country, I am very disturbed by what I see today."
Walt McGuire and her 9-year-old daughter, Summit, proudly raised anti-Nazi and Black Lives Matter signs.
"This is our first protest," he said, "I think it's important for him to see what it's like to talk."
Kessler had left his business for a demonstration in Charlottesville, and the city remained calm Sunday in peace and a memorial service for Heyer.
President Donald Trump weighed on Saturday, tweeting that the chaos a year ago "resulted in unreasonable deaths and divisions." He wrote that the country must unite, and he condemned "all kinds of racism and acts of violence."
It invited condemnation from Sherlee Ifill of the NAACP, who replied: "'All types.' 'Both sides.' Continue to advance the narrative of moral equality between racists and those who oppose racism, so as not to denounce their white supremacy. "
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