Ahead of the one-year anniversary of the "Unite the Right" rally in Charlottesville, Virginia scheduled to take place on Sunday, on Saturday morning President Trump tweeted that he condemns "all types of racism and acts of violence."
"The riots in Charlottesville a year ago resulted in senseless death and division. We must come together as a nation. I condemn all types of racism and acts of violence. Peace to ALL Americans!", Trump tweeted.
The riots in Charlottesville a year ago resulted in senseless death and division. We must come together as a nation. I condemn all types of racism and acts of violence. Peace to ALL Americans!
Trump sparked controversy and faced widespread criticism following last year's deadly rally in Charlottesville, arguing that "both sides" were to blame for the destructive riots that resulted in a woman's death. The president faced a media backlash over his response that there was “blame" as well as "very fine people" on "both sides" of the rally.
Meanwhile, as we reported last night, conservatives across the country have been sounding the alarm over Sunday's "Unite the Right II" anniversary rally in Washington D.C.'s Lafayette Park. Those on the right ranging from Dinesh D'Souza to Jack Posobiec to 4chan users have called the event everything from a bad idea to a trap designed to sow discord ahead of midterm elections.
In fact, many conservatives have been urging people to donate to a fund for Heather Heyer, a counter-protester who died after a Unite the Right attendee drove his car into a crowd she was with.
In anticipation of violence, Virginia Governor Ralph Northam declared a state of emergency, stating “I am urging Virginians to make alternative plans" to avoid the event- while the Alt-Right Exposed blog noted that a left-wing "Resist" group called Shut It Down is planning to confront attendees.
Fueling speculation that the event is a setup is organizer Jason Kessler - a known provocateur who was a leftist "Occupy" activist less than two years ago, only to be kicked out of gatherings after he allegedly advocated for violence against the police.
“I don’t remember exactly what he brought with him, but it was very violent in nature,” he says. “He quickly went from talking about this and that to ‘we need to have Molotov cocktails’ and ‘we need to dig up the bricks to throw them at the cops.'” -WINA.com
In a December 9, 2015 blog post, Kessler stated "I can’t think of any occupation that I admire more than the professional provocateur, who has the courage & self-determination to court controversy despite all slings & arrows of the world."
Commenting on tomorrow's event, conservative journalist Mike Cernovich voiced his opposition to the event:
“Jason Kessler is...