Protesters dressed in camouflage and gripping assault rifles gathered near a city park in Charlottesville, Virginia, in August. They had assembled for a rally of white supremacists: people who believe the white race is superior to all others. They were in Charlottesville, their leaders said, to march against the city’s plan to remove a statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee from the park.
But they weren’t alone. Counter-protesters who opposed their views linked arms and marched toward them.
The two sides clashed—first with angry chants, then with water bottles, fists, and pepper spray. As chaos erupted, a car driven by an alleged Nazi sympathizer plowed into the counter protesters, killing one and injuring 19 others.
Despite the turmoil, Charlottesville still plans to remove the Lee statue, although opponents have filed a lawsuit to try to prevent that from happening. Charlottesville is hoping to follow the lead of other cities, including New Orleans, Louisiana, that recently took down Confederate monuments. In May, after years of controversy, New Orleans dismantled four massive Confederate statues, including one of Lee, who commanded Confederate troops during the Civil War (1861-65). The removals sparked angry protests and lawsuits.
Protesters gathered near a city park in Charlottesville, Virginia, in August. Dressed in camouflage and gripping assault rifles, they had assembled for a rally of white supremacists. Those are people who believe the white race is superior to all others. They were in Charlottesville, their leaders said, to march against the city’s plan to remove a statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee from the park.
But they weren’t alone. Counter-protesters who opposed their views linked arms and marched toward them.
The two sides clashed. They first exchanged angry chants. Then, they fought with water bottles, fists, and pepper spray. As chaos erupted, a car driven by an alleged Nazi sympathizer plowed into the counter-protesters. He killed one person and injured 19 others.
Despite the turmoil, Charlottesville still plans to remove the Lee statue. But opponents have filed a lawsuit to try to prevent that from happening. Charlottesville is hoping to follow other cities that recently took down Confederate monuments. One of those cities is New Orleans. In May, after years of controversy, New Orleans dismantled four massive Confederate statues. This included one of Lee. He commanded Confederate troops during the Civil War (1861-65). The removals sparked angry protests and lawsuits.