Saturday, August 12, 2017

Nazis March In Charlottesville, Virginia (UPDATED)

Hundreds of tiki torch- bearing (!) American Nazis held a march last night through the campus of the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, in advance of today's demonstration at the site of a statue to traitor Robert E. Lee:

White nationalists and counterprotesters are expected to flood downtown Charlottesville Saturday as the Virginia city braces for the "Unite the Right" rally.

By noon, thousands are expected to gather in Emancipation Park, where barricades have been placed in proximity to the statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee.

The rally comes hours after a large group of torch-bearing white nationalists marched through the University of Virginia campus Friday night. [snip]

Torch-bearing white nationalists confirmed the fears of residents and officials Friday night when hundreds descended upon the UVA campus.

Chanting "blood and soil" and "you will not replace us," the group rallied around a statue of Thomas Jefferson before they clashed with counterprotesters, CNN affiliate WWBT reported. The group left the university's grounds when police arrived and ruled it unlawful assembly.

Calling themselves "white nationalists" or "alt right" or some other nomenclature is too imprecise for this virulent group of shitheels. If you're carrying torches and chanting "blood and soil," that's not a dog whistle -- it's a Nazi bullhorn.

University of Virginia political analyst and pollster Larry Sabato expressed feelings most of us would share:

In my 47 years of association with @UVA, this was the most nauseating thing I've ever seen. We need an exorcism on the Lawn.