Demonstrators gather in downtown L.A. to protest Charlottesville violence
Hundreds of protesters marched peacefully through downtown Los Angeles on Sunday to denounce the white nationalist violence in Charlottesville, Va., and to excoriate President Trump.
The demonstrators rallied on the steps of City Hall with speeches condemning racism and xenophobia, then marched through the streets of downtown, chanting: “No Trump, no KKK, no fascist USA,” “No hate, no fear, immigrants are welcome here,” “Black lives matter,” and other slogans.
Many brandished signs such as “Stop white terrorism,” “Nazi scum,” “White silence = white consent,” and “There is only one side” — a reference to Trump’s widely criticized remarks blaming the violence on “many sides.”
The demonstration came a day after three people were killed and dozens injured around Charlottesville when a rally staged by white nationalists turned violent. The “Unite the Right” rally had been planned as part of a battle over the city’s ordered removal of a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee.
Before the rally could begin, neo-Nazis, white nationalists and other far-right figures began brawling with anti-racism protesters in the streets of the college town. One woman was killed when a driver plowed a sports car into a crowd of counter-demonstrators.
Lydia Avila drove from Pasadena to join Sunday’s protest in downtown L.A., saying she was outraged to see neo-Nazis “come out of hiding and demonstrate on the streets.”
“Trump has given them the courage to come out,” said Avila, 29, who works for a social justice nonprofit. “We need to show that we're not going to put up with this, that as a country we’re going to fight against racism and white supremacy.”
More than a dozen similar events were planned across California.