Rally near White House sees poor turnout of white supremacists

About 20 to 30 show up, outnumbered by over 2,000 counter-protesters

White supremacist Jason Kessler and members of the alt-right marching to the White House as part of the "Unite the Right 2" event on Sunday.
White supremacist Jason Kessler and members of the alt-right marching to the White House as part of the "Unite the Right 2" event on Sunday. PHOTO: EPA-EFE

A white supremacist rally in front of the White House on Sunday afternoon attracted a poor turnout of about 20 to 30 people - vastly outnumbered by more than 2,000 counter-protesters who were in no mood to tolerate them.

The "Unite the Right 2" event was held to coincide with the anniversary of last year's racially charged violence in Charlottesville, Virginia.

The white supremacist group was escorted by police to and from Lafayette Park, with the counter-protesters held at bay by rings of security.

Still the group - along with a separate couple wearing Trump shirts - were assailed by the counter-protesters, some of whom threw objects such as water bottles.

Police used pepper spray to push back some of the counter-protesters and batons to disperse part of the crowd after one protester let off a firecracker or smoke bomb.

The counter-protesters came from groups opposed to President Donald Trump - in particular his administration's hardline policy on immigration and his apparent equivocation over the Charlottesville rally a year ago when one woman died after a car was driven into a crowd by a neo-Nazi youth.

Supporters of Black Lives Matter, which campaigns against racism towards black people, took part in Sunday's protest.

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Thousands of counter-protesters poured into Washington DC to rally against Unite the Right 2 event on the anniversary of racially charged violence in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Mr Chris Hall, 28, a real estate agent born and raised in Washington, DC, told The Straits Times that Charlottesville and the events since have shown that "you can be openly racist without any consequences; you can... openly hate people. And that's wrong".

After hearing the white supremacists had left, counter-protesters dispersed under a thundershower, with anti-fascist militant groups marching through the rain, closing down a street for several blocks.

Separately in Charlottesville, activists, University of Virginia students and residents marched to honour the victims of last year's clashes - 32-year-old Ms Heather Heyer and two state troopers killed when their helicopter crashed in a riot-related operation.

Police arrested four people on Sunday, including one who spat in a demonstrator's face.

On the eve of the rally, Mr Trump tweeted: "The riots in Charlottesville a year ago resulted in senseless death and division. We must come together as a nation. I condemn all types of racism and acts of violence. Peace to ALL Americans!"

But his critics felt his tweet again did not go far enough to condemn racism, just like last year when he said there were "fine people on both sides" in Charlottesville.

Analysts say the turnout for the Unite the Right 2 rally showed it has yet to find wider traction.

But the fact that the group known as the alt-right - many of whom wore pro-Trump gear - gathered in front of the White House is seen as a sign that it is emboldened.

Analysts say "white anxiety" drives white supremacists - itself a term many among them dispute, calling themselves "white nationalists" instead.

While white people are currently still a majority, the Census Bureau has predicted that by 2044, no single racial group in the United States will be a majority.

The issue is thus at the heart of the idea of America's identity.

A poll released last month by the Public Religion Research Institute showed that while 64 per cent of people surveyed thought demographic and cultural diversity would be positive for America, there were sharp divisions between Democrat and Republican supporters.

A majority of Democrats and Independents believed demographic changes would have a positive impact, but half of Republicans believed the impact would be negative.

Mr Osiris Green, 28, a musician, told ST that white supremacy should be stopped before it is too late.

"Back before World War II happened, it was kind of similar, it was not taken seriously, and look what happened," he said.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on August 14, 2018, with the headline Rally near White House sees poor turnout of white supremacists. Subscribe