Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe declared a state of emergency Saturday after a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville erupted into violent clashes before it even began. Emancipation Park, the site of the rally, filled up with white supremacists, armed right-wing militias and alt-right groups hours before the rally began at noon, with organizers protesting the city’s plans to remove a Confederate-era monument. Fights quickly broke out when those groups were confronted by counterprotesters, among them Black Lives Matter activists. Protesters were armed with sticks and clubs as they faced off against the counterprotesters, with some of them at one point wielding the Confederate flag like a lance and charging into a crowd. The two sides used chemical sprays on each other and came to blows before police intervened to disperse the crowd. Members of the National Guard were seen arriving in armored vehicles as riot police began blocking off the roads, while several white nationalist groups moved their gathering to another park in the city. Police said arrests were underway as of Saturday afternoon but gave no further details.
Virginia Gov. Terry McAullife told white supremacists and Nazis "go home and never come back" on Saturday. "There is no place for you here, there is no place for you in America," he said from Charlottesville where a car killed one person and injured more after plowing into anti-racist protesters.
In a statement released Saturday night, Cruz called the incident "tragic and heartbreaking" and said the Justice Department must be involved immediately.
"The Nazis, the KKK, and white supremacists are repulsive and evil, and all of us have a moral obligation to speak out against the lies, bigotry, anti-Semitism, and hatred that they propagate," Cruz said in a statement.
"Having watched the horrifying video of the car deliberately crashing into a crowd of protesters, I urge the Department of Justice to immediately investigate and prosecute this grotesque act domestic terrorism."
BERLIN (AP) — Police say a drunken American man was punched by a passer-by as he gave the stiff-armed Nazi salute multiple times in downtown Dresden.
Dresden police said Sunday the 41-year-old, whose name and hometown weren’t given for privacy reasons, suffered minor injuries in the 8:15 a.m. Saturday assault.
Police say the American, who is under investigation for violating Germany’s laws against the display of Nazi symbols or slogans, had an extremely high blood alcohol level. His assailant fled the scene, and is being sought for causing bodily harm.
It’s the second time this month that tourists have gotten themselves into legal trouble for giving the Nazi salute.
On August 5 two Chinese tourists were caught taking photos of themselves making the gesture in front of Berlin’s Reichstag building.
