'Unite The Right' Rally Fizzles As Few Participants Show Up

A rally hosted by a group of white nationalists on Sunday in Washington D.C.'s Lafayette Square failed to attract much support beyond a few dozen supporters according to CNN. Instead, they found themselves vastly outnumbered by thousands of counter-protesters who came out to demonstrate against the far-right group one year after clashes in Charlottesville, Virginia left one person dead, and dozens more injured.

Washington D.C. had been on edge in recent days in anticipation for "Unite the Right 2," rally being put on by the same organizers of last year's demonstration, but the city seemed to breathe a sigh of relief after participants fell far short of the hundreds organizer Jason Kessler planned for based on his event permit application. 

Kessler, one of the organizers of last year's deadly "Unite the Right" rally in Charlottesville, wanted to hold a demonstration on the anniversary of last year's rally that left one counter-protester dead, but the city refused to host him. Kessler sued, but later withdrew his request for a permit in a federal court hearing late last month.

Kessler blamed the low turn on logistical issues and confusion over the group's transportation.

The far-right group found themselves largely outnumbered by thousands of counter-protesters who insulted them, flipped them the middle fingers and chanted slogans at the white nationalists with things like "Go home Nazis!" "No Trump! No KKK! No fascist USA!" and "Shame! Shame! Shame!"

Sunday's demonstration and the opposing rally were held as racial tensions remain high in the United States. Over the last few months, several viral videos of white people calling the police on people of color for everyday acts, like having a barbecue or going to the pool, have gone viral, highlighting the difficultly minorities face while trying to complete the most innocent of tasks. 

The rally also comes one year after a 32-year-old counter-protester, Heather Heyer, was killed by a suspected neo-Nazi sympathizer who rammed his car into a crowd. 

Photo: Getty Images


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