Emergency in US' Virginia: 1 killed, 19 injured during violent protest by white nationalists

"You will not replace us." "White lives matter." "Jews will not replace us." Hundreds of torch-wielding American white nationalists and white supremacists, most of whom were young men, roared these words in unison last night at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, a Washington Post report said.

See for yourself.

Close your eyes and imagine if 2000 BLACK men were carrying torches and marching anywhere in America #Charlottesville #WhiteSupremacists pic.twitter.com/yBQa6M4MWf- Bishop Talbert Swan (@TalbertSwan) August 12, 2017

That happened after a right-wing blogger, Jason Kessler, called for what he termed a "pro-white" rally to protest Charlottesville's decision to remove a statue of Confederate General Robert E Lee from a downtown park.

Things got worse this morning. Virginia's governor Terry McAuliffe declared a state of emergency after violent clashes took place between white nationalists and counter-protestors.

Not sure who provoked first. Both sides were hitting each other at Justice Park before police arrived. #Charlottesville pic.twitter.com/onABUPq1mm- ACLU of Virginia (@ACLUVA) August 12, 2017

This Twitter user posted a horrifying video of a vehicle zooming towards people who he said were anti-racist protestors.

Video of car hitting anti-racist protestors. Let there be no confusion: this was deliberate terrorism. My prayers with victims. Stay home. pic.twitter.com/MUOZs71Pf4- Brennan Gilmore (@brennanmgilmore) August 12, 2017

Both US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump have tweeted appeals for calm.

We ALL must be united & condemn all that hate stands for. There is no place for this kind of violence in America. Lets come together as one!- Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 12, 2017

Our country encourages freedom of speech, but let's communicate w/o hate in our hearts. No good comes from violence. #Charlottesville- Melania Trump (@FLOTUS) August 12, 2017

'ANTI-WHITE CLIMATE'

It's the latest confrontation in Charlottesville since the city about 100 miles outside of Washington, D.C., voted earlier this year to remove a statue of Lee.

In May, a torch-wielding group that included prominent white nationalist Richard Spencer gathered around the statue for a nighttime protest, and in July, about 50 members of a North Carolina-based KKK group traveled there for a rally, where they were met by hundreds of counter-protesters.

Kessler said this week that the rally is partly about the removal of Confederate symbols but also about free speech and "advocating for white people."

"This is about an anti-white climate within the Western world and the need for white people to have advocacy like other groups do," he said in an interview.

Between rally attendees and counter-protesters, authorities were expecting as many as 6,000 people, Charlottesville police said this week.

Among those expected to attend are Confederate heritage groups, KKK members, militia groups and "alt-right" activists, who generally espouse a mix of racism, white nationalism and populism.

Both the Anti-Defamation League and the Southern Poverty Law Center, which track extremist groups, said the event has the potential to be the largest of its kind in at least a decade.

Officials have been preparing for the rally for months. Virginia State Police will be assisting local authorities, and a spokesman said the Virginia National Guard "will closely monitor the situation and will be able to rapidly respond and provide additional assistance if needed."

According to initial reports, one person has been declared dead, and 19 injured after a car ploughed into a group of protestors.

(Inputs from AP)

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