The Nation’s capital is bracing for a white nationalist rally on Sunday organized to commemorate the anniversary of last year’s racially charged, deadly riot in Charlottesville, Virginia.
The “Unite the Right 2” event is scheduled to take place at 1:30 PM EST in Lafayette Square, across the street from the White House. Several counterprotesters have also received permission to gather nearby.
Authorities have promised a tremendous police presence to keep both sides apart and avoid the fisticuffs that broke out last year in downtown Charlottesville when the event organized by Neo-Nazi leader James Kessler turned deadly.
A Virginia woman, Heather Heyer, was killed when an Ohio man, James Fields, mowed down a crowd of protesters with his car.
At the time, President Donald Trump said there were “very fine people” on both sides, spurring criticism from across the political divide that he was equating the counter-protesters with the rally attendees, who included neo-Nazis and other white supremacists.
On Saturday, Trump condemned “all types of racism” in a Twitter post marking the anniversary.
