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A car plowed into a crowd of people peacefully protesting a white nationalist rally Saturday in a Virginia college town, killing one person, hurting more than a dozen others and ratcheting up tension in a day full of violent confrontations.

Shortly after, a Virginia State Police helicopter that officials said was assisting with the rally crashed outside Charlottesville, killing the pilot and a trooper.

The chaos boiled over at what is believed to be the largest group of white nationalists to come together in a decade. The governor declared a state of emergency, and police dressed in riot gear ordered people out. The group had gathered to protest plans to remove a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee, and others arrived to protest the racism.

Matt Korbon, a 22-year-old University of Virginia student, said several hundred counter-protesters were marching when "suddenly there was just this tire screeching sound." A silver Dodge Challenger smashed into another car, then backed up, barreling through "a sea of people."

The impact hurled people into the air. Those left standing scattered, screaming and running for safety in different directions.

The driver was later identified by police as James Alex Fields Jr. of Ohio. Police say Fields, 20, has been charged with second-degree murder, three counts of malicious wounding, and one count related to leaving the scene. A bond hearing is scheduled for Monday.

The turbulence began Friday night, when the white nationalists carried torches through the University of Virginia campus. It quickly spiraled into violence Saturday morning. Hundreds of people threw punches, hurled water bottles and unleashed chemical sprays. At least one person was arrested in connection.

City officials said the car collision left 19 people injured and said they treated 35 patients altogether.

State Police said in a statement that the helicopter was "assisting public safety resources with the ongoing situation" when it crashed in a wooded area. The pilot, Lieutenant H. Jay Cullen, 48, of Midlothian, Virginia, and Trooper-Pilot Berke M.M. Bates of Quinton, Virginia, died at the scene.

President Donald Trump condemned "in the strongest possible terms" what he called an "egregious display of hatred, bigotry and violence on many sides" after the clashes. He called for "a swift restoration of law and order and the protection of innocent lives."

Trump said he had spoken with the governor of Virginia, Terry McAuliffe, and "we agreed that the hate and the division must stop and must stop right now."

But some of the white nationalists cited Trump's victory as validation for their beliefs, and Trump's critics pointed to the president's racially tinged rhetoric as exploiting the nation's festering racial tension.

The Rev. Jesse Jackson noted that Trump for years publicly questioned President Barack Obama's citizenship.

"We are in a very dangerous place right now," he said.

Right-wing blogger Jason Kessler had called for what he termed a "pro-white" rally in Charlottesville, sparked by the monument decision. White nationalists and their opponents promoted the event for weeks.

Oren Segal, who directs the Anti-Defamation League's Center on Extremism, said multiple white power groups gathered in Charlottesville, including members of neo-Nazi organizations, racist skinhead groups and Ku Klux Klan factions.

The white nationalist organizations Vanguard America and Identity Evropa; the Southern nationalist League of the South; the National Socialist Movement; the Traditionalist Workers Party; and the Fraternal Order of Alt Knights also were on hand, he said, along with several groups with a smaller presence.

On the other side, anti-fascist demonstrators also gathered in Charlottesville, but they generally aren't organized like white nationalist factions, said Heidi Beirich of the Southern Poverty Law Center.

Many others were just locals caught in the fray.

Colleen Cook, 26, stood on a curb shouting at the rally attendees to go home.

Cook, a teacher who attended the University of Virginia, said she sent her son, who is black, out of town for the weekend.

"This isn't how he should have to grow up," she said.

Cliff Erickson leaned against a fence and took in the scene. He said he thinks removing the statue amounts to erasing history and said the "counter-protesters are crazier than the alt-right."

"Both sides are hoping for a confrontation," he said.

It's the latest hostility in Charlottesville since the city about 100 miles outside of Washington, D.C., voted earlier this year to remove a statue of Lee.

In May, a torch-wielding group that included prominent white nationalist Richard Spencer gathered around the statue for a nighttime protest, and in July, about 50 members of a North Carolina-based KKK group traveled there for a rally, where they were met by hundreds of counter-protesters.

Kessler said this week that the rally is partly about the removal of Confederate symbols but also about free speech and "advocating for white people."

"This is about an anti-white climate within the Western world and the need for white people to have advocacy like other groups do," he said in an interview.

Charlottesville Mayor Michael Signer said he was disgusted that the white nationalists had come to his town and blamed Trump for inflaming racial prejudices.

"I'm not going to make any bones about it. I place the blame for a lot of what you're seeing in American today right at the doorstep of the White House and the people around the president," he said.

Charlottesville, nestled in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, is a liberal-leaning city that's home to the flagship UVA and Monticello, the home of Thomas Jefferson.

The statue's removal is part of a broader city effort to change the way Charlottesville's history of race is told in public spaces. The city has also renamed Lee Park, where the statue stands, and Jackson Park, named for Confederate General Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson. They're now called Emancipation Park and Justice Park, respectively.

For now, the Lee statue remains. A group called the Monument Fund filed a lawsuit arguing that removing the statue would violate a state law governing war memorials. A judge has agreed to temporarily block the city from removing the statue for six months.

Associated Press writers Alan Suderman in Richmond, Virginia, Heidi Brown in Charlottesville, and Claire Galofaro in Louisville, Kentucky, contributed to this report.

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Ohio man charged with driving into marchers opposing white nationalists, killing 1 - Chicago Tribune

by: Danae Leake, Action News Jax Updated: Aug 12, 2017 - 9:27 PM

AltRight.com co-editor Richard Spencer might speak at the University of Florida in September.

UFPresident Kent Fuchs released a statement saying that the National Policy Institute, which is led by Spencer, has reached out to reservespace for a speaking event that would feature Spencer, who isa white nationalist and "alt-right" activist.

Fuchs said the organization is not affiliated with the university, and no student groups or other groups affiliated with the university are sponsoring the speech.

The event is not finalized and it is still under discussion, Fuchs said.

University regulation allows non-university groups, organizations and persons to rent space on campus, and must cover rental expenses and security costs.

Fuchs said the university's administration, staff and campus police are forming a security plan of the event is finalized. The university is working with other organizations that have had similar events on their campus.

"For many in our community, including myself, this speakers presence would be deeply disturbing," Fuchs said in an official statement. "What weve watched happen in Charlottesville, VA. in the last 24 hours, is deplorable. I again denounce all statements and symbols of hate. The University of Florida is a community of learners, educators and scholars. We encourage open and honest dialogue, and we strive to build an inclusive environment where hate is not welcome."

Fuchs said that while Spencer's views do not align with the university, the university has to follow and uphold the First Amendment.

Saturday marked a violent day for Charlottesville after one person died and 19 were injured following a white nationalist rally.

Spencer had previously led a rally in May,protesting plans to remove a Confederate monument in Charlottesville, Virginia.

"Though we have a responsibility as a public university, we also have a vital duty to our students, faculty and staff to uphold our educational mission," Fuchs said.

The event would be held Sept. 12 if it is finalized by the university.

2017 Cox Media Group.

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'Alt-right' co-editor, activist Richard Spencer might come to University of Florida - ActionNewsJax.com

Former ethics lawyer to Pres. George W. Bush Richard Painter (Screen capture)

During a segment of a special MSNBC broadcast featuring Joy Reid, former ethics czar to President George W. Bush Richard Painter blasted President Donald Trumps stubborn refusal to denounce white supremacists and his attempt to equally blame the left for the violence that killed a 32-year-old woman in Charlottesville, VA.

What this is all about is not the National Socialists or the Ku Klux Klan, Painter said. This is an umbrella organization or movement called the alt-right and the alt-right is a terrorist movement.

He went on, And thats what we have seen: deaths today in Charlottesville because of the alt-right terrorist movement. It was given a platform by Steve Bannon at Breitbart News and the Trump administration needs to remove from the federal government anyone who has had any association with this so-called alt-right movement.

People are dying because of it, Painter said. Its a threat to our national security and these people need to be out.

Painter has been a gadfly on the Trump administration, saying that people like White House aides Sebastian Gorka and Steve Bannon are dangerous right-wing ideologues.

Watch the video, embedded below:

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'The alt-right is a terrorist movement': Ex-Bush ethics czar blasts Trump administration's support of racists - Raw Story

Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe has placed the National Guard on standby in preparation for a rally in Charlottesville on Saturday, where at least 1,000 nationalists are expected to attend.

The Unite the Right rally is scheduled to take place Saturday at McIntire Park in Charlottesville, the city said on its website. The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) said in a statement that the event could be the "largest white supremacist gathering in a decade."

McAuliffe said in a statement that while he believes the majority of the rally's participants will express their views "safely and respectfully," he believes that some attendees may be violent.

Virginia is the birthplace of the rights to freedom of speech and peaceful assembly that make our country great," McAuliffe said. "...However, in advance of tomorrows rally, there have been communications from extremist groups, many of which are located outside of Virginia, who may seek to commit acts of violence against rally participants or law enforcement officials."

The "alt-right" movement is characterized by a mix of racism, white nationalism and populism, according to The Associated Press.

McAuliffe urged residents who plan to attend -- whether in support or opposition of the rally -- to make alternative plans.

"Many of the individuals coming to Charlottesville tomorrow are doing so in order to express viewpoints many people, including me, find abhorrent," he said. "As long as that expression is peaceful, that is their right. But it is also the right of every American to deny those ideas more attention than they deserve."

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is representing the event's organizer -- right-wing blogger Jason Kessler -- in a lawsuit filed Aug. 10 against the city of Chartlottesville and City Manager Maurice Jones. The suit claims that Kesslers first amendment and constitutional rights were violated because on Aug. 7, city officials initially tried to revoke his original event permit, and then changed the location of the event.

The city claimed that this was a result of the high number of expected attendees, and not because of public pressure to stop the rally from taking place, Claire Gastaaga, executive director of the ACLU of Virginia, told ABC News.

While Gastaaga said the ACLU disagrees with Kessler's speech, she criticized city officials for attempting to revoke the permit without due process.

"We think it's important the government make decisions in the sunlight," she said.

A representative for the city of Charlottesville did not immediately respond to ABC News' request for a comment in regard to the lawsuit.

The rally is expected to draw at least 1,000 participants, according to an affidavit from Charlottesville Police Chief Al Thomas, which was provided to ABC News from the ACLU. Emancipation Park, the original event location, would have been unable to accommodate a peaceful crowd safely, Jones said in an affidavit.

"There is no doubt that Mr. Kessler has a First Amendment right to hold a demonstration and to express his views," the city manager wrote in a statement on Aug. 7. "Nor is there any doubt that we, as a city, have an obligation to protect those rights, the people who seek to exercise them, and the broader community in which they do. We have determined that we cannot do all of these things effectively if the demonstration is held in Emancipation Park."

Large crowds are also expected in downtown Charlottesville on Saturday, the city said, with high numbers of protesters demonstrating against the rally expected to be among those in attendance.

When Kessler applied for the permit on May 30, he proposed the event as a "free speech rally in support of the Lee monument," according to Jones' affidavit. The city has plans to remove a statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee from Emancipation Park, which was formerly known as Lee Park, according to the complaint.

"Just as the Unite the Right participants have the right to air their views, so do those who want to protest against those views," said Charlottesville Mayor Mike Signer in a statement. "Democracy can be noisy, and it can be messy. But by ensuring we protect both public safety and the Constitution through the city manager's decision, I firmly believe that we will emerge from the weekend of August 12 a stronger community than ever."

ADL CEO Jonathan A. Greenblatt said the organization agrees with Signer.

The white supremacist rally in Charlottesville is the latest indication that the darkest corners of society are emboldened to come forward and openly parade their bigotry on main street, said Greenblatt. We continue to stand with Charlottesville Mayor Signer and those who reject intolerance. Hate has no place in our communities."

On May 13, noted white nationalist Richard Spencer led protesters with torches in a Charlottesville rally against the planned removal of Confederate statues in the city.

Link:
Virginia governor orders National Guard on standby ahead of 'alt-right' rally - ABC News

A Cooperative Baptist Fellowship partner church in Charlottesville, Va., hosted a community prayer service Aug. 8 in anticipation of an alt-right rally this weekend protesting planned removal of a Confederate monument that has the community bracing for violence.

The 50-minute service at University Baptist Church in Charlottesville is one of a series of advocacy events countering Saturdays Unite the Right rally protesting a decision earlier this year to remove a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee from a downtown park.

Organized by white nationalist Richard Spencer and local activist Jason Kessler, it is expected to be one of the largest white supremacist rallies in recent U.S. history. Congregate Charlottesville, an organizing group, has called for 1,000 clergy and faith leaders to show up in Charlottesville this weekend to confront the protesters.

Charlottesville survived a July protest by the Klan without serious incident, but city officials fear this weekends rally could be more dangerous.

During the 50-minute prayer service, University Baptist Church Senior Pastor Matthew Tennant asked God to keep us from violence as some of the news points to what could be a powder keg.

Jillian Andrzejewski

Jillian Andrzejewski, pastor of Mooreland Baptist Church and 2010 graduate of Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond, prayed that activists and protesters will express themselves in ways that are kind, helpful and loving and may both sides see each other as humans.

Allison Hager Jackson, an Alliance of Baptists-endorsed chaplain at Legacy Hospice, prayed for healing for all parties involved.

Heal the fear that builds barriers and divides us from our neighbors, she said. Heal the fear that keeps us seated when you would have us stand up alongside the least of these. Heal the pride that allows us to see the sin of others but not our own sin.

We pray that you will heal us that we may heal in our community the systems in which we so often participate that cause people of color and others to be oppressed, Jackson continued. We pray that you will heal the fear that causes police officers to react violently when violence is not necessary, and in doing so heal the rift that exists between police and citizens.

She also asked God to heal whatever brokenness exists within these people of the alt-right that causes them to spew hatred rather than the love that you so freely give to them and all us.

Will Brown, associate minister for community at University Baptist Church, reminded the audience that tensions suddenly coming to a head in Charlottesville are nothing new.

They run deep, Brown said. Many have looked at our nations history of slavery and Jim Crow, of racial discrimination, and call this Americas original sin. It is a stain on our collective conscience that we just cant seem to get rid of. There is no easy answer for this. There is no quick fix. This stain is deeply set.

The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship does not issue public pronouncements on social issues, but in June the Southern Baptist Convention passed a resolution denouncing every form of racism, including alt-right white supremacy, as antithetical to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Previous stories:

In annual meeting do-over, Southern Baptists denounce alt-right white supremacy

Alt-right isnt new to Christianity, says author Brian McLaren

Clash continues two months after SBC alt-right resolution snafu

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Churches in Charlottesville, Va., brace for alt-right protesters - Baptist News Global