The melee that resulted from a "Unite the Right" protest in Charlottesville, Va., prompted First Lady Melania Trump to tweet a message late Saturday morning calling protesters and counterprotesters to turn against violence.
"Our country encourages freedom of speech, but let's communicate w/o hate in our hearts. No good comes from violence. #Charlottesville," Melania Trump tweeted shortly after Virginia Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe issued a state of emergency
The protest turned violent even before it officially began on Saturday. The rally was in protest of Charlottesville's decision to remove a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee.
Protesters began to disband after the state of emergency was issued. Local and state police also declared the protest an unlawful assembly Saturday morning.
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