Source: The Washington Post / Getty
The Justice Department has opened a civil rights investigation into the racially-charged weekend rally in Charlottesville, VA. On Saturday, white nationalists met in Charlottesville to protest the city’s plans to remove a statue of Confederate General Robert E Lee. Carrying torches and waving Nazi and Confederate flags, the protesters chanted racist remarks and ended in violent clash with counterprotesters. Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe (D) declared a state of emergency and called in the National Guard, but it wasn’t enough to prevent deadly conflict. Later that day, a car rammed into a crowd of counterprotesters, killing one woman and injuring many more. The driver, James Fields, has been arrested and charged with second-degree murder. Two police officers were also killed in a freak helicopter crash while responding to the violence.
