The mayor of Charlottesville, Virginia, thanked President Donald Trump on Saturday for "condemning hate in speech and action" after white nationalists and protesters clashed at a rally at a downtown park.
Here is Mayor Mike Signer's tweet:
He later condemned the plowing of the crowd by a car, which injured as many as six people, and begged protesters to "go home."
Trump tweeted after Democratic Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe declared a state of emergency in Virginia shortly following the start of the clashes:
The rally was planned at Emancipation Park to protest a decision by city officials to remove the statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee., but was ultimately dispersed after the state of emergency was declared.
White nationalists also marched through the campus of the University of Virginia Friday night, carrying torches and shouting phrases like “white lives matter” and “you will not replace us.”
Signer also slammed the protest in a statement, calling the gathering "a cowardly parade of hatred, bigotry, racism, and intolerance."
"Everyone has a right under the First Amendment to express their opinion peaceably, so here's mine: not only as the Mayor of Charlottesville, but as a UVA faculty member and alumnus, I am beyond disgusted by this unsanctioned and despicable display of visual intimidation on a college campus," he said.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.