Updated Saturday, Aug. 12, 2017, 4:15 p.m. EDT: The mayor of Charlottesville, Va., confirmed that one person was killed as a car rammed into a crowd during a white nationalist protest Saturday afternoon.
Mayor Mike Signer tweeted: “I am heartbroken that a life has been lost here. I urge all people of good will—go home.”
Updated Saturday, Aug. 12, 2017, 2:25 p.m. EDT: The chaos continues. The Associated Press is reporting that a vehicle has plowed into a group of peacefully marching counterprotesters at the “Unite the Right” march in Charlottesville, Va., on Saturday afternoon.
An AP reporter saw “at least one person on the ground receiving medical treatment immediately afterward the incident, which occurred approximately two hours after violent clashes between white nationalists and counter-protesters.”
A CBS reporter on the scene reports at least six people are on the ground, and response personnel are moving the injured on stretchers.
There were several hundred protesters marching in a long line when the car drove into a group of them, according to the AP report.
“A car appeared to deliberately mow down pedestrians,” says an eyewitness.
The injuries range from minor to life-threatening, authorities said.
Earlier:
Just before noon on Saturday, Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe declared a state of emergency as Unite the Right demonstrations in Charlottesville, Va., overwhelmed local police and left many bloodied. According to reports, two people have been treated for serious but not life-threatening injuries.
Although ABC News reports that McAuliffe ordered the National Guard on standby yesterday, it now looks as if the governor responded with too little, too late.
Those on the scene report chaos, with white racists and counterprotesters clashing. And USA Today cites “reports of urine being tossed at reporters,” so shit has officially gone off the rails.
As noted by many, the police and state of Virginia should have been ready for this fuck shit even since last night, when there were reports of violence during a vigil march of intimidation on the University of Virginia’s campus.
But no, why would there be any coordinated police response to thousands of angry white men—many of them armed—coming to town?
Nope, they save the heavy guns for people who look like this.
Oh, and our feckless leader also tweeted some meaningless platitudes about “hate” after 1 p.m. on Saturday. Ain’t that the pot ...