Dispatches From D.C.: On the Scene at the ‘Unite the Right 2’ Rally
On the anniversary of the 2017 “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Va., Truthdig correspondent Michael Nigro reports from Washington, D.C., the site of a white nationalist event on Sunday that turned out to be smaller than expected.
Signs at the "Unite the Right 2" rally, held Sunday in Washington, D.C. (Michael Nigro)
Truthdig’s front-line correspondent and photojournalist Michael Nigro will be reporting and livestreaming on the ground from the “Unite the Right 2” rally Sunday in Washington, D.C. Below is a link to his recap of last year’s rally in Charlottesville, Va., where he provided exclusive coverage for Truthdig, and beneath that is information about the run-up to the new events stemming from last year’s demonstration.
This weekend marks the one-year anniversary of the “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Va., a gathering of white nationalists in which activist Heather Heyer was killed and 19 were injured when a car plowed into a group of counterprotesters; an Ohio man faces hate-crime charges in the deadly rampage.
After being denied a permit in Charlottesville for this year’s “Unite the Right 2,” rally organizer Jason Kessler obtained a permit for 400 people to march in the nation’s capital and hold a rally in Lafayette Square, with the White House as a backdrop.
The permit denial in Charlottesville did not stop Ralph Northam, the governor of Virginia, and city officials from declaring a state of emergency Wednesday, leading up to the anniversary of the deadly rally.
Unverified reports of unsanctioned alt-right actions in Charlottesville have been shared over social media platforms. Some on the left believe there will be attempts to disrupt left-wing actions and memorials held for the 29-year-old activist who was killed by the car driven by white nationalist James Alex Fields Jr.
District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser held a news conference Thursday in which she announced that D.C.’s security level has been activated at level 2 and resources are available to ensure the area will be safe during the event.
Law enforcement agencies including the D.C. Metro Police, the FBI, the Capitol Police, Virginia and Maryland state police, Homeland Security and the U.S. Park Police (which has jurisdiction over Lafayette Square) will be monitoring the event. The “Unite the Right 2” rally is slated to begin at 5 p.m. Eastern on Sunday.
“We welcome millions of visitors each and every year,” Bowser said at the news conference. “Very, very few of our visitors share the views that will be expressed in Lafayette Park on Sunday.”
“We have people coming to our city for the sole purpose of spewing hate,” she added.
“We have coordinated with the organizers of all the groups that are coming and established what the rules and regulations are in Lafayette Park, and what the expectations are,” said Chief of U.S. Park Police Robert D. MacLean.
“Come and be peaceful and exercise your First Amendment rights. We will not tolerate destruction of property,” MacLean added.
The following images were captured at the “Unite the Right 2” rally in Washington, D.C., on Sunday:
Independent journalism is under threat and overshadowed by heavily funded mainstream media.
You can help level the playing field. Become a member.
Your tax-deductible contribution keeps us digging beneath the headlines to give you thought-provoking, investigative reporting and analysis that unearths what's really happening- without compromise.
Give today to support our courageous, independent journalists.
Author and University of Michigan professor Alexandra Minna Stern traces the origins of America's burgeoning white nationalist movement.
Filmmaker Alison Klayman documents what she learned about Donald Trump’s former adviser after spending a tumultuous year with him.
This is a worldview that reinforces a contempt for human rights in the name of financial expediency and the cynical pursuit of political power.
As Proud Boys and counterprotesters clash in New York, the mayor of Portland, Ore., announces belated measures to combat their influence.
Darren Beattie was a panelist at a 2016 conference described by a civil rights advocacy group as “a safe space for professors to vent their racist views,” a CNN inquiry finds.
On the eve of the first anniversary of the deadly violence in Virginia, and a day before a new white nationalist rally in Washington, D.C., Truthdig is reposting Michael Nigro's acclaimed photo essay of the 2017 demonstration. He was the first person struck by an automobile driven into the crowd there.
You need to be a supporter to comment.
There are currently no responses to this article.
Be the first to respond.