Unite the Right rally

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The Unite the Right rally was an infamous rally initiated by Jason Kessler to advocate for white supremacism, and had many hateful far-right and Alt-Right attendees, most prominently neo-Nazis, neo-Confederates, skinheads, white separatists, neo-fascists, and Ku Klux Klan members. The event was met with numerous counter protesters, ranging from peaceful activists to violent Antifa members. Numerous were injured in the event from clashes. The event most notoriously had 3 deaths, two being in a helicopter crash and one being a counter protester Heather Heyer, who was murdered in cold blood by a vehicle attack.

History

Jason Kessler got a permit to conduct the rally by the City of Charlottesville. Initially, it was to take place in what he described as a "field in the middle of nowhere", but it was eventually allowed to be moved to a location Kessler desired, after a lawsuit filed on behalf of the ACLU. 

On the night of August 11, 2017, numerous white supremacists came in abruptly into the field of the University of Virginia, with many wielding tiki torches. Many white supremacist slogans were chanted. Some counterprotestors and protestors got into altercations during this, although they were not as nearly as violent as the ones that would happen on August 12. Eventually, the area cleared at the rally (temporarily) dispersed.

On August 12, 2017, the rally started up yet again, during the late morning. Here, many of the same white supremacists gathered, along with many notable icons of white supremacist movements such as Richard B. Spencer, David Duke, and others. Various religious clergy were counterprotesting by having signs which are meant to advocate for peace, etc. 

Notable Attendees

• Jason Kessler (key organizer)
• Richard B. Spencer
• David Duke
• Matthew Heimbach
• Mike Enoch
• Michael Hill
• James Alex Fields Jr. (vehicular attacker)
• Christopher Cantwell
• Nathan Damigo
• Augustus Sol Invictus
• Nick Fuentes
• Peter Cvjetanovic
• Enrique Tarrio
• Tim "Baked Alaska" Gionet

Parties involved in protest

• Alt-Right
  • American Identity Movement (at the time known as Identity Evropa)
  • Vanguard America
  • Traditionalist Youth Network
  • Identitarians
  • League of the South
  • National Socialist Movement
  • Rise Above Movement
• Ku Klux Klan
• Proud Boys
• White Power Skinheads
• Aryan Nations
• Atomwaffen Division
• Hammerskins
• Aryan Brotherhood
• Anti-Communist Action

Villainous counterprotesters:

• Antifa

Slogans said

• "You will not replace us"
• "Jews will not replace us"
• "David Duke! David Duke!"
• "White lives matter"
• "Blood and soil"
• "The goyim know"
• The Fourteen Words

Trivia

• The rally was universally condemned (although condoned by many hateful people). However, many statements claiming to condemn it were very controversial, notably that of Donald Trump.
• Jason Kessler faced scrutiny after regarding the now-deceased Heather Heyer as a "fat, disgusting communist". Shortly after, Andrew Auernheimer claimed that he hacked Kessler's Twitter account.
• James Alex Fields Jr. is now serving a life sentence in prison.
• Ironically, the rally did not "unite the right"; it caused people within the alt-right to argue over peaceful tactics or aggressive tactics.
• David Duke and Richard Spencer were idolized by various fanatics attending the rally, including James Allsup.