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Graphic video: A bystander captures the moment a car slams into a crowd at a white nationalist protest in Charlottesville, Virginia.
USA TODAY
Amid the chaos of the Charlottesville, Virginia, riots, which as of Saturday afternoon had left one civilian dead and many more injured, Arizona Republican Sen. Jeff Flake took to Twitter to condemn the violence.
“The #WhiteSupremacy in #Charlottesville does not reflect the values of the America I know,” Flake tweeted. “Hate and bigotry have no place in this country.”
The protests, which began Friday night, were being led by hundreds of white nationalists, neo-Nazis and Ku Klux Klan members. Throughout the day Saturday, the protests escalated into violence.
President Donald Trump was criticized Saturday for his response — initially for not responding at all, then for the words he used in tweets and then for the phrasing of statements in a news conference.
Specifically, Trump was criticized for not condemning white nationalism in his speech Saturday afternoon. Instead, he blamed “many sides.”
“We condemn in the strongest possible terms this egregious display of hatred, bigotry and violence on many sides,” Trump said. “On many sides.”
Trump also tweeted about the protests earlier on Saturday.
Other Arizona public officials also weighed in on the riots — and Trump’s response — via social media.
READ MORE:
Charlottesville rally turns to chaos after car rams into crowd
Car rams Charlottesville crowd: What we know now
Why is Charlottesville ground zero for white supremacists?
A day before a scheduled alt-right demonstration in Charlottesville, Virginia, protestors marched with torches at the University of Virginia. According to local reports, several people were injured during the demonstration.
USA TODAY
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Fights and arguments were widespread during a white nationalist protest in Charlottesville, Virginia. Demonstrators were protesting the removal of a Confederate statue.
USA TODAY
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Graphic video: A bystander captures the moment a car slams into a crowd at a white nationalist protest in Charlottesville, Virginia.
USA TODAY
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President Trump interrupted a signing ceremony for veterans to publicly denounce the deadly violence in Charlottesville, Virginia saying the U.S. government is “ready, willing and able” to step in.
USA TODAY
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Former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke said the ‘alt-right’ protests in Charlottesville, Va., on Saturday, Aug. 12, 2017, were a “turning point” to fulfill the promises of Donald Trump.
Mykal McEldowney/IndyStar
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Alt-right protestors carry torches to Univ. of Virginia
Fights break out in the street during alt-right protest
Graphic video: Car slams into crowd at alt-right demonstration
Trump responds to violence in Charlottesville
White nationalist David Duke attends ‘Unite the Right’ rally in Charlottesville
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