White Nationalists See Low Turnout At 'Unite The Right 2' Rally

WASHINGTON, DC — About 30 white nationalists, escorted by police, marched toward the White House after being met with shoves and shouts Sunday afternoon in Washington, D.C. The "Unite the Right II" rally, meant to mark the one-year anniversary of the deadly Charlottesville rally, had the nation's capital bracing for violence as about 400 people were expected to attend the event, according to an event organizer.

But Jason Kessler, who organized both rallies, spoke Sunday, remarked upon the lower-than expected attendance, blaming infighting within white supremacists groups for what he viewed as a disappointing turnout, which was dampened even more by rain. Kessler said some white supremacist leaders told their followers not to attend. He specifically called out "neo-Nazi tough guys" who were sitting "in their mama's basement right now." Many of the white nationalists who did go were plunked in the heads with water bottles as they marched, even as they were escorted by police.

David Duke, the former grand wizard of the Ku Klux Klan, was expected to speak at the rally. But by all accounts he didn't — and won't, as Kessler and his fellow white nationalists were whisked away in a van to Foggy Bottom metro station.

Tensions were expected to boil over with insults, slurs and fists flying. Hours before the event, counter protesters seemed eager to brawl with the white nationalists, with one counter protester even ripping a flag out of the hands of one of the marchers. Early on, the images evoked painful memories of chaos at last year's rally in Charlottesville, where white nationalists held burning tiki torches, chanted anti-Semitic slogans and brawled with anti-fascists in the streets. The violence came to a head when a man who spewed Neo-Nazi beliefs drove his car into a crowd of counter-protesters, killing 32-year-old Heather Heyer.

But Sunday's protests and counter protests were — for the most part — peaceful, aside from reports of people throwing water bottles and garbage at the white nationalists. Kessler, the lead organizer who bills himself not as a white nationalist but as a "civil rights advocate" who focuses on white people, told reporters he believed his rally wouldn't turn violent this time around. He said he only used the "Unite the Right" monicker so people would see how different this event would be from the one in Charlottesville.

He was right, both in size and in substance. There was just one arrest reported on the day and far fewer white nationalists turned out this time — something Kessler appeared to hint at just before the rally. Two Virginia State Police troopers were spit upon by Donald Franklin Georgette, 30, of Washington, D.C., at the Vienna Metro South entrance, authorities said. He was charged with simple assault and taken to the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center.

"People are afraid to come out to the public and express their First Amendment rights because they're being attacked," Kessler said.

President Donald Trump on Saturday decried last year's "senseless death and division" and called for unity.

“Riots in Charlottesville a year ago resulted in senseless death and division,” he tweeted. “We must come together as a nation. I condemn all types of racism and acts of violence. Peace to ALL Americans!”

See also: Unite The Right 2 In Photos: Images That Tell The Story

Watch WUSA live coverage from DC here:

Counter protesters were at the Vienna Metro hours before the rally. They held signs, including one that read "Black Lives Matter" and another that said "KKK, Nazis, Racists, Alt-Right, Fascists. Not Now, Not Ever!"

Angela and Will Elliott, whose two children attended the University of Virginia, held a poster that read “Every human being is created in the image of God." Angela Elliott said she was "disturbed by the level of anger and hatred."

However, both believe there's room for redemption.

“Sometimes people can be called deplorable," Will Elliott told Patch. "That is not very helpful. You can talk about a person’s actions but the person, I don’t think it’s right to call the person deplorable.”

Marian Pflaumer, who is an immigrant, said she was surprised to learn when she first arrived in the U.S. that the KKK and other white supremacist groups were even allowed to publicly demonstrate. She said she wants anti-hate speech laws strengthened.

“I’ve been waiting for the administration to denounce this as wrong," Pflaumer said. "The more that doesn’t happen, the more it becomes normal. If the administration doesn’t denounce it I will.”

About 1,000 counter protesters ultimately gathered at Freedom Plaza, according to reporters at the scene. They chanted "No hate, no fear, black lives matter here!"

Crowd was thickening steadily the entire half hour I was at Freedom Plaza. At this rate there'll be close to a thousand people set to come join the other counterprotester bloc in Lafayette Square at 330. Here's another 60-100 column joining: pic.twitter.com/3LNosZoGFp
— E. K. Hornbeck (@PykeA) August 12, 2018

U.S. Park Police and the Metropolitan police put up a barrier to separate the opposing groups. The Answer Coalition, an antiracism group, planned an even bigger rally— three times the size — for Lafayette Square, as well, The New York Times reported. A local chapter of the Black Lives Matter movement planned a "Rise Up Fight Back Counter-Protest" from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. That event took place a block away from the white nationalist rally, CNN reported.

A large crowd of anti-fascist counter protesters, many donning masks or wearing bandanas to obscure their faces, marched down the middle of Pennsylvania Avenue on Sunday afternoon shouting chants and holding signs. Some event took to igniting Confederate flags on fire. Their march was briefly halted when at least one smoke bomb or smoke flare was set off.

Metropolitan Police Chief Peter Newsham previously told reporters his officers would try to keep the protesters and counter protesters separated. Guns were outright banned near the rally, even for those with permits to carry.

"Our role is to make sure we have a First Amendment event that goes on without any types of violence or destruction of property," Newsham said.

SEE ALSO: Unite The Right Rally Prompts States Of Emergency In Virginia

Meanwhile, a hundred miles southwest of the city, four people were arrested in Charlottesville on various charges including assault and battery and disorderly conduct.

The original Unite the Rally in Charlottesville on Aug. 12, 2017, erupted into violence between white nationalists and counter-demonstrators. Two Virginia state troopers, Lt. H. Jay Cullen III and Trooper-Pilot Berke M.M. Bates died the same day after their helicopter crashed while monitoring the event.

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Trump initially wouldn't call out white supremacists in the aftermath of the violence. He later condemned Neo-Nazis and the Ku Klux Klan, but then gave counter-protesters some of the blame for the violence.

"You had a group on one side and the other, and they came at each other with clubs, and it was vicious and horrible. It was a horrible thing to watch," Trump said. "There is another side. There was a group on this side, you can call them the left. You have just called them the left, that came violently attacking the other group. You can say what you want. That's the way it is."

Mayor Muriel Bowser activated the city’s emergency operations center last week in preparation for "First Amendment activities." The activation allows local, state, and federal agencies to join forces to coordinate necessary supports for any "critical incident responses."

Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam and the City of Charlottesville have declared states of emergency for the weekend.

"I am urging Virginians to make alternative plans to engaging with planned demonstrations of hate, should those arise," Northam said in a statement. "Declaring this state of emergency in advance of the anniversary and the related planned events will help us ensure that the state and the city have all available resources to support emergency responders in case they are needed."

Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine said on Face The Nation that Charlottesville was a "shock" that has ignited a fire within people.

" What I think it has created is an energy of people of goodwill standing up and saying, there will not be hate. Hate will not define who we are. We're on a path of progress, and we're going to stay there,” he said.

Road Closures

Police have will enforce the following road closures Sunday between 9 a.m. and 8 p.m.:

• 15th Street, NW, from Constitution Avenue to K Street, NW
• 17th Street, NW, from Constitution Avenue to K Street, NW
• 18th Street, NW, from E Street to Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
• 19th Street, NW, from E Street to Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
• 20th Street, NW, from E Street to Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
• 21st Street, NW, from E Street to Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
• 22nd Street, NW, from E Street to Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
• 23rd Street, NW, from Virginia Avenue to Washington Circle, NW
• H Street, NW from 17th Street to 15th Street, NW
• I Street, NW from 17th Street to 15th Street, NW
• K Street, NW from 17th Street to 15th Street, NW
• Connecticut Avenue, NW, from H Street to I Street, NW
• Vermont Avenue, NW, from H Street to I Street, NW
• G Street, NW, from 17th Street to 23rd Street, NW
• F Street, NW, from 17th Street to 23rd Street, NW
• E Street, NW from 17th Street to 23rd Street, NW

Story includes reporting by Patch Editor Emily Leayman.

Lead photo credit: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Other photos via Emily Leayman, Patch