On the first-year anniversary of the deadly Unite the Right white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Va., history is set to repeat itself, with hundreds of people expected to gather in the nation’s capital for a White Civil Rights rally.
According to local news reports in DMV, the National Park Service has approved an application for a White Civil Rights rally. The permit for the rally, however, has still not been issued.
The rally, to be held outside the White House at Lafayette Square, is being planned by Jason Kessler, who organized the Unite the Right rally last year to protest the removal of Confederate statues in cities. That event quickly turned violent, resulting in the death of 32-year-old counterprotester Heather Heyer. Several other counterprotesters standing up against racism and white supremacy were also injured.
The application that NPS signed off on indicates that the event will take place Aug. 11 and 12.
“This year we have a new purpose,” Kessler said, according to reporters. “That’s to talk about the civil rights abuse that happened in Charlottesville, Virginia, last year.”
