Tear gas used on protesters after KKK rally at Justice Park; 23 arrested – The Daily Progress

Ninety-six years after the Ku Klux Klan organized in Charlottesville, about 50 members of the Loyal White Knights of the KKK traveled on Saturday from a small North Carolina town near Virginia's border to protest an effort to remove a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee.

They were met by more than 1,000 protesters in Justice Park, which is home to a statue of Gen. Thomas "Stonewall Jackson and until recently was named for the Confederate leader. The Lee statue stands in nearby Emancipation Park, which also was renamed.

Meanwhile, those who wanted to protest less directly gathered at "Unity Cville" events scattered throughout the city for concerts, community organizing, discussions on the KKK and other white supremacist and separatist groups and more.

Lurking beyond Saturday's events is another rally planned for Aug. 12. Organized by pro-white blogger Jason Kessler, that event is expected to attract far-right and white nationalist groups. Some saw Saturday's events as a dress rehearsal for the August rally.

Delayed as police worked to create a pathway for them to reach Justice Park, the KKK members rallied for less than an hour, from 3:45 to 4:30 p.m. Their permit had been scheduled for 3 to 4 p.m. Several protesters were arrested as they tried to form a blockade.

The Klansmen then moved to a parking garage on Fourth Street Northeast and High Street, where their vehicles were parked. Police moved with them, and a wall of protesters formed at the garage. Authorities told them that they were to disperse for unlawful assembly. At 4:45 p.m., the vehicles were able to leave the garage.

Police and protesters then moved back toward Justice Park. After "a number of incidents," as a city spokeswoman put it, frustration boiled over and police threatened to use pepper spray. Virginia State Police threw three tear gas canisters to disperse the crowd; among those affected were several Daily Progress reporters and two ACLU legal observers.

The Charlottesville Police Department requested assistance from the Albemarle County Police Department, University of Virginia Police Department, Charlottesville Sheriffs Office, Charlottesville Fire Department, Charlottesville Albemarle Rescue Squad and Virginia State Police.

The spokeswoman said Charlottesville police and Virginia State Police resources "were deployed to secure access to the park and ensure the safety of all involved." By 6 p.m., protests had dispersed.

In all, 23 people had been arrested by 6:15 p.m. Three people were taken to a hospital, two for heat-related issues and one for an alcohol-related issue.

In a statement on Saturday, the Virginia Division, Sons of Confederate Veterans, which has opposed the removal of the Lee statue in a legal battle, said it "neither embraces nor espouses acts or ideologies of racial or religious bigotry and further strongly condemns the misuse of our sacred flags, symbols, or monuments in the conduct of the same."

On Facebook, Mayor Mike Signer said residents "made lemonade out of a lemon" on Saturday. "Today could have been a day of rage and indiscriminate and violent confrontation. Instead, it was a day of prayer, education, testimony and protest."

More than 1,000 people were in attendance when about 50 members of the Loyal White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan protested in Justice Park on Saturday, according to a spokeswoman for the city of Charlottesville.

As of 6:15 p.m., 23 people had been arrested. Three people were taken to a hospital, two for heat-related issues and one for an alcohol-related issue.

The spokeswoman said Charlottesville police and Virginia State Police resources "were deployed to secure access to the park and ensure the safety of all involved."

After police allowed the KKK members to leave a parking garage, they began to walk toward Justice Park, she said, and a large group followed. After "a number of incidents," police used pepper spray and state police three three canisters of tear gas to disperse the crowd, the spokeswoman said.

In a statement on Saturday, the Virginia Division, Sons of Confederate Veterans, which has opposed the removal of the Lee statue in a legal battle, said it "neither embraces nor espouses acts or ideologies of racial or religious bigotry and further strongly condemns the misuse of our sacred flags, symbols, or monuments in the conduct of the same."

Police and protesters have dispersed from High Street and Justice Park.

Police have used three cans of tear gas on protesters standing in High Street in Charlottesville following the KKK's departure from a protest in Justice Park.

Among those affected were several Daily Progress reporters and a legal observer for the American Civil Liberties Union.

The Charlottesville Police Department has requested assistance from the Albemarle County Police Department, University of Virginia Police Department, Charlottesville Sheriffs Office, Charlottesville Fire Department, Charlottesville Albemarle Rescue Squad and Virginia State Police.

Surveillance cameras were installed near Emancipation and Justice parks within the last couple of weeks, according to Capt. Wendy Lewis, and they are recording on a loop. Footage will only be viewed for evidentiary or investigative purposes, she said.

Having policed similarly large events, such as the Occupy Charlottesville protest in 2011, Lewis said Charlottesville police are confident they can handle the situation.

I think were very experienced at it, Lewis said earlier this week. We find it a privilege to be able to protect peoples right to assemble and free speech in a transparent way.

About 40 members of the Loyal White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan rallied for less than an hour at Justice Park.

Protesters had tried to stop police from forming a barrier that allowed the KKK to enter their rally area. Several of them were arrested as police created a path.

At about 4:30 p.m., KKK members left the rally to head toward their vehicles in a garage at Fourth Street Northeast and High Street. Protesters gathered to confront them, but police told they would be arrested for unlawful assembly. At about 4:45 p.m., the vehicles left.

Civic leaders have planned events to bring the community elsewhere Saturday, but leftist activists have set up to directly protest the Klan rally at Justice Park, formerly named for the statue of Confederate Gen. Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson that stands there.. In the weeks leading up to Saturdays events, the city has been on edge, worrying about the possibility of violence between the Klan members and protesters.

On Aug. 12, a rally that will be attended by far-right and extremist groups that promote racist, white nationalist and anti-Semitic sentiments is expected to draw about 400 participants.

Some are looking at Saturdays event as a dress rehearsal for the Unite the Right rally next month in Emancipation Park, formerly named for its statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee.

The two rallies are being organized as a protest against the citys efforts to remove the Lee statue. Organizers for the two events see the possible removal of the Lee statue as an affront to White-European and Southern culture.

In a statement on Saturday, the Virginia Division, Sons of Confederate Veterans, which has opposed the removal of the Lee statue in a legal battle, said it "neither embraces nor espouses acts or ideologies of racial or religious bigotry and further strongly condemns the misuse of our sacred flags, symbols, or monuments in the conduct of the same."

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Tear gas used on protesters after KKK rally at Justice Park; 23 arrested - The Daily Progress