STATE OF EMERGENCY… TROOPS ON STANDBY… SHOWDOWN AT ‘WHITE RALLY’ IN VIRGINIA
The usually quiet university city of Charlottesville, Virginia, declared a state of emergency Saturday morning after a Unite the Right gathering of far-right extremists began with early, violent clashes with counterprotesters.
The state of Virginia followed suit shortly after, declaring the gathering to be unlawful and ordering both rallygoers and counterprotesters to “disperse immediately.”
Clashes have started. Keep in mind, the rally doesn’t start officially until noon. #charlottesville #rally pic.twitter.com/DswIVyE6RB
— Craig Stanley (@_CraigStanley) August 12, 2017
“This gathering has been declared as to be an unlawful assembly; in the name of the Commonwealth, you are commanded to immediately disperse; if you do not disperse immediately you will be arrested,” an officer announced to milling crowds midday Saturday.Saturday’s far-right rally comes after a Friday night march by torch-bearing white nationalists on and near the University of Virginia campus resulted in brawls with protesters countering the event.
The Unite the Right event Saturday was supposed to begin at noon, but people both in support and opposed to the rally began gathering earlier and by 11 a.m. two people had been treated for serious but non-life-threatening injuries after an altercation at the city’s Emancipation Park, according to city officials.
Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe has placed the National Guard on standby in preparation for today’s rally, an action he took even before the clashes Friday night.