White nationalists are planning to rally “sooner than later” in Lexington, Kentucky to oppose the relocation of two Confederate statues there. “Intelligence agencies” already have them on their radar, the city’s police chief said.
Chairman of the Traditionalist Worker Party, Matthew Heimbach, told The Lexington Herald that discussions for the rally were taking place between various groups falling under a "nationalist front." His group reportedly was approached by individuals in Lexington, requesting its involvement.
The flashpoint was Lexington Mayor Jim Gray’s reaction to the violence in Carlottesville, Virginia, and his sudden announcement that he planned to move the two Confederate statues from the lawn of the former Fayette County Courthouse on Main Street.
He outlined his intentions on Twitter.
Gray also posted a video in which he gave a detailed explanation as to why he felt the statues should be moved.
“Relocating these statues and explaining them is the right thing to do,” he said.
“And that is why I have recommended to our city council that they be placed along our veterans park war memorial walk together with two monuments to the union effort. It’s time to focus on the value of common sense and respectful solutions.”
Lexington Police Chief Mark Barnard said his department had received no confirmation of the event.
“Right now we have heard they are coming to Lexington, we’ve all read the internet stuff that everybody else has, but we have not been contacted by anyone and we haven’t heard anything intelligence wise from the other agencies indicating they are coming here.”
Barnard added that police were aware of who the groups are, saying intelligence agencies had been following them for a long time.
“We saw what happened in Charlottesville, we have been in consultation with the state police and with local metro police and we are prepared if they are coming here,” he said.
Heimbach told The Herald that, although a date is yet to be determined, the aim was to hold the event “sooner rather than later.”
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.