Stewart: Charlottesville will prompt liberal ‘crackdown’ on free speech – Fauquier Times

Corey Stewart, who made the defense of the Robert E. Lee statue in downtown Charlottesville a central issue of his recent failed gubernatorial campaign, addressed the city's violence at 7:30 p.m.

He warned mostly about the lefts attempts to crack down on free speech and made a brief statement condemning the violence and alleged murder that took place at the "Unite the Right" rally in Charlottesville on Saturday.

He made no mention of the Virginia State police helicopter crash that took the lives of two veteran troopers, but thanked law-enforcement officials for their service today.

In a Facebook Live video filmed in his historic Bel Air Plantation home in Woodbridge, Stewart, who is now running for U.S. Senate, began his five-minute talk by declaring that the left has never condemned their own violence.

Stewart, chairman of the Prince William Board of Supervisors, went on to criticize U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine (D), saying he applauded" his son when he was arrested as a member of Antifa after a protest in Minneapolis in May. Stewart is seeking the Republican nomination to unseat Kaine in 2018.

Linwood Woody Kaine, 24, was among five people arrested in connection with setting off smoke bombs or fireworks during a pro-Trump rally there. The attorney general declined to file charges against the younger Kaine or the other arrestees, according to news reports.

Kaine said in a prepared statement the displays of "violenceandbigotry" seen today in Charlottesville are "sickening."

"The fact that people like David Duke cited the president to justify their views is a disturbing reminder that divisive rhetoric has sadly contributed to a climate where individuals who espouse hate feel emboldened," Kaine said. "As they seek publicity through their hateful tactics, let's pull together--regardless of party, race or religion--to reject hatred in no uncertain terms and stand together."

Stewart went onto say he feared Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) would try to make all of Virginia a safe place, apparently meaning a place safe from what he called conservative speech.

The liberals will try to label all of conservative speech as hate speech and then try to forbid it, Stewart said. All those efforts will fail, and, in fact, the real irony of that, is as they continue to crack down on conservative speech that will lead to more violence.

If free speech is not protected, people do sometimes turn to violence, he added. That is not the right way to go. We must always condemn it. But we must not allow the left to crack down on free speech in the aftermath of what is happening in Charlottesville today.

Stewart thanked the police and Virginia National Guard for their efforts and said officials must hunt down and find the criminals who perpetrated these horrible crimes.

Stewart made no mention, however, of the "Unite the Right" rally or white nationalists.

Staff Writer Hannah Dellinger contributed to this story.

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Stewart: Charlottesville will prompt liberal 'crackdown' on free speech - Fauquier Times