A white nationalist "Unite the Right" rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, turned violent Saturday afternoon when a car plowed through a crowd. This followed a Friday night clash between far-right white supremacist protesters and anti-racist counter-protesters at the University of Virginia. How many people were injured in Charlottesville shows just how deadly this event became.
According to CNN, the car incident left about 19 people injured, including five people who are in critical condition. A 32-year-old woman was killed as a man intentionally drove a gray Dodge Challenger into a crowd of counter-protesters. According to another CNN report, the city said there were at least 15 other injuries associated with rally that weren't directly caused by the car incident. In addition, two Virginia State Patrol troopers died in a helicopter crash as they monitored the violent events on the ground. The pilot, Lt. H. Jay Cullen, and Trooper Berke M.M. Bates were killed in the crash. The cause is currently being investigated by authorities.
The white nationalist, alt-right protesters had assembled and wielded torches on Friday night to protest Charlottesvillve's plan to remove a monument of top Confederate General Robert E. Lee. Anti-racist counterdemonstrators gathered to oppose the values displayed by the protest, which supported white supremacy. Former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke supported the "Unite the Right" rally, saying, "We are determined to take our country back. We are going to fulfill the promises of Donald Trump."
President Donald Trump condemned the "egregious display of hatred, bigotry and violence" during the event, but received criticism for attributing it to "many sides."
Republican and Democrat politicians have spoken out to condemn the event. Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe had the most powerful statement on the incident. In a speech on Sunday morning, McAuliffee had a pointed message for white nationalists: "Go home. You are not wanted in this great commonwealth. Shame on you."
