White Supremacists, Counter Protesters to Rally in DC
The group's goal, according to their website, is to demonstrate for what they call “white civil rights.”
In a counter protest to the Unite the Right rally, a coalition of leftist groups will also be in Washington on Sunday. Their goal, according to their website, is to unite against fascism, anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, white supremacy and state violence. That demonstration's organizers are also calling for protests across the United States and at U.S. embassies around the world.
A year ago, the violence erupted in a national debate about whether Confederate symbols of the U.S. Civil War memorialize past leaders and dead soldiers or invoke white supremacy and the Confederacy’s acceptance of the slavery of blacks.
A white nationalist protest over the planned removal of a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee turned deadly when counterprotester Heather Heyer, 32, was killed by a car driven into a crowd.
Information on the two rallies planned for Sunday:
Protest: Unite the Right 2 rally
Organized by: John Kessler, founder of the white nationalist group Unity and Security for America. He also was the organizer of the original Unite the Right rally.
Protest site: Lafayette Park, located directly north of the White House
Duration: 5:30-7:30 p.m.
Expected attendance: 400
Focus of protest: Pro-white activism and "white civil rights."
The Counterprotest: Still Here, Still Strong rally
Organized by: The Shut It Down DC coalition of leftist groups
Protest site: Freedom Plaza, roughly a half-mile southeast of Lafayette Park
Duration: 12-3 p.m.
Expected attendance: 500-600
Focus of protest: A united front opposing hate, borders, prison, and the vision of Unite the Right.