A press conference held by “Unite the Right” rally organizer Jason Kessler, the day after the deadly Charlottesville rally, was cut short when angry protesters stormed the podium and ran Kessler off (video above).
A group of angry protesters stormed the podium where Kessler was speaking yelling things like, “Get the f*uck out of here!” and “Murderer!”.
Organizer Jason Kessler run away by crowd of protesters. @fox5dc
After being tackled by counter protesters Jason Kessler slips out of press conference with help from police in #charlottesville @indystar
Saturday’s “Unite the Right” rally ended in tragedy when one person was killed and 19 others were injured when a speeding car slammed into a throng of counterprotesters.
The 32-year-old woman was killed while walking across the street, Charlottesville Police Chief Al Thomas said. She has been identified as Heather Heyer, a paralegal from Virginia.
The driver, 20-year-old James Alex Fields Jr. of Maumee, Ohio, faces charges of second-degree murder, malicious wounding and failure to stop in an accident that resulted in death, according to Superintendent Martin Kumer of the Albermarle-Charlottesville County Regional Jail.
Two Virginia State Patrol troopers were also killed in a helicopter crash while “assisting public safety resources with the ongoing situation in Charlottesville,” according to a police press release. They have been identified as pilot Lt. H. Jay Cullen, 48 and Trooper M.M. Bates, who would have turned 41 on Sunday.
In addition to the helicopter crash and the one death and 19 injuries from the car-ramming incident, the city said there were at least 15 other injuries associated with the rally.
Virginia’s governor had earlier declared an emergency, and police worked to disperse hundreds of protesters after clashes broke out before the rally’s scheduled noon ET start.
After yesterday’s rally, Kessler posted a video to his Twitter account blaming Charlottesville Vice-Mayor Wes Bellamy, Mayor Michael Signer and Police Chief Al Thomas for the events that transpired at Saturday’s rally.
Watch Kessler’s video below:
Kessler went on to blame law enforcement and other local officials in a statement.
“The blame for today’s violence lies primarily with Charlottesville government officials and the police officers who failed to maintain law and order, protect the First Amendment rights of rally participants, and provided for their safety,” said Kessler.
“We need to call it out for what it is,” said Gov. McAuliffe in a statement. “To the white supremacists and the neo-Nazis that came to our beautiful state yesterday, there is no place for you in Charlottesville. There is no place for you in Virginia, and there is no place for you in the United States of America.”
