The Ku Klux Klan held a rally in Charlottesville, Virginia on Saturday. Â Almost 1,000 counter-protesters showed up, too.
The 50 or so Klan members and supporters– some wearing Klan robes, some carrying Confederate flags– staged their protest in opposition to the city’s plan to remove a statute of Confederate General Robert E. Lee from a public park.
Some of the Klansmen came armed with weapons. Virginia has an open carry law.
Klansmen shouted “White Power.” Counter-protesters shouted “racists go home,” and “black lives matter.” Scuffles broke out as the counter-protesters tried to prevent the Klansmen from leaving the park when the protest rally was over. Police had to escort the Klan members to their cars.
The city council voted earlier this year to remove the statue and rename the park where it is located from Lee Park to Emancipation Park.
