By David Futrelle
What looked last night like farce has turned to tragedy: A speeding car crashed into a crowd of counterprotesters at the so-called #UniteTheRight neo-Nazi march in Charlottesville today, killing one woman and leaving many injured. Video of the incident makes pretty clear that this was an intentional act. The word for this is terrorism.
Details are still scarce, including the identity of the driver, who has apparently been taken into custody. Two police monitoring the protests died in a helicopter crash as well, the cause of which is still unknown.
Here are some tweets that may help to make sense of what has happened and what is happening in Charlottesville. I have put video of the car attack itself behind a content warning at the end of the post.
Pres. Trump says he condemns "egregious display of hatred, bigotry and violence on many sides" in Charlottesville. https://t.co/FQUzBoy9b6 pic.twitter.com/VDANe8Nl8T
— ABC News (@ABC) August 12, 2017
https://twitter.com/GaryLegum/status/896475826618855427
Everyone: Surely you didn't mean to blame people protesting Nazis for Nazi violence?
White House: Oh hell yes we did. pic.twitter.com/7CN1vL15nQ
— Kaili Joy Gray (@KailiJoy) August 12, 2017
The president has been more directly critical of TV hosts, cable news, actresses, comedy shows, & the intelligence community than of nazis.
— Olivia Nuzzi (@Olivianuzzi) August 12, 2017
Trump condemning violence on "Both sides" was foretold when he whitewashed the holocaust into "all people who perished"
— šššš§ šš§š ššššš« š š ā¢ļø (@RemingtonWild) August 12, 2017
6 weeks ago, Trump slashed funding for one of the nation's only groups devoted to combatting neo-Nazi gangs & radical white extremism. pic.twitter.com/Tee5QWbvPB
— Caroline Orr Bueno, Ph.D (@RVAwonk) August 12, 2017
1. TWO DAYS AGO: Top White House adviser says we should stop blaming white supremacists for violence https://t.co/HWZipzcNmv
— Judd Legum (@JuddLegum) August 12, 2017
Video: Alt-right marcher shouting "Heil, Trump" while waving nazi salute
via @tomperriello #charlottesville #AMJoy https://t.co/s3MMSxEhWe
— Scott Dworkin (@funder) August 12, 2017
Scariest image today was not of nazi salutes but of KKK in their new robes – full camo and long guns to appear like the National Guard. pic.twitter.com/IPX3YIZuUv
— Tom Perriello (@tomperriello) August 12, 2017
Unidentified militia has arrived at #EmancipationPark ahead of the #Charlottesville rally with guns in tow. pic.twitter.com/zCLCBU78PF
— Craig Stanley (@_CraigStanley) August 12, 2017
https://twitter.com/MatthewACherry/status/896417584320466944
I was at Ferguson & Baltimore. Trying to imagine police response there if protesters had the artillery the #Charlottesville rioters have.
— Julia Ioffe (@juliaioffe) August 12, 2017
https://twitter.com/jnsanchez/status/896351164756840448
— Yashar Ali š (@yashar) August 12, 2017
And if he doesn't do that then Marco will furrow his brow VERY hard while voting for whatever Trump wants anyway. pic.twitter.com/pfxbOvkWYv
— shauna (@goldengateblond) August 12, 2017
https://twitter.com/jowrotethis/status/896392449760698368
Computer. Give me the stupidest take on #Charlottesville pic.twitter.com/Q4ujbH01uW
— Truther Dare (@truther_dare) August 12, 2017
https://twitter.com/Green_Footballs/status/896488774875533312
The answer to this is to remove every single monument to the rebel traitors on public lands anywhere in the USA. https://t.co/7Hqeu7RnWH
— Richard W. Painter (@RWPUSA) August 12, 2017
CONTENT WARNING: THE VIDEO AND IMAGES OF THE CAR ATTACK AND ITS AFTERMATH BELOW ARE GRAPHIC.
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https://twitter.com/brennanmgilmore/status/896434516260212737
This disturbing incident was captured by @RyanMKellyPhoto in #Charlottesville today on one of his last days on the job. #photojournalism pic.twitter.com/L2CtTHoVxd
— Bill McKenna (@Wm_McKenna) August 12, 2017
https://twitter.com/ACLUVA/status/896428776988475393
Shit’s getting real, folks. The Trump-loving National Enquirer has launched a vicious attack on Paul Manafort, trying to discredit him by accusing him of serious “sick” sexual misdeeds, which sounds like they think he’s flipped to help the special prosecutor after figuring out what incriminating stuff they got in the FBI raid. (Why would they go after him now, unless they think he is already letting the cat out of the bag?) Look for a big upswing in alt-right violence as the fall of their messiah becomes more and more likely.
Today, Bleeding Virginia. Tomorrow, Civil War II.
I have no words. This was terrible and frightening and I am just in shock.
EDIT: Does the Klan issue ratty moustaches and goatees with their hoods, nowadays?
I still can’t believe how quickly that stopped being funny.
I don’t know how long it’s gonna take me to find the words for how I feel right now, but I know they’re angry and sad and desperate words and I don’t know how long this can go on before these become the only kinds of words to ever use.
The next family gathering should be interesting. I don’t interact with Trump supporters often, but when I next see one of my two Trumpkin uncles and they even so much as hint that they still like him, you know I’m throwing this in their faces. It’s the only thing I feel I have the power to do right now.
Honestly? I am with Richard Painter. Take the statue, melt it down, and make a monument out of it for the people who were injured and died today. They lost the right to their pathetic confederate cosplay. We beat the confederates. We beat the Nazi’s. We outlasted Soviet Russia and I will have no tolerance for traitors who want to resurrect our fallen enemies.
Also “lil marco” Rubio is the goddamned worst of the Miami Republicans. I am so ashamed to have him as my rep.
The poem “First they came …” is becoming more relatable in ways I am not comfortable with.
They are trying to make us afraid of speaking out against their bigotry. For people who are so enthusiastic about “free speech”, they certainly don’t want others to have it.
Our leadership certainly isn’t helping either. Trump knows this is his voter base and as usual he refuses to own the mess he has made.
Also, it seem an helicopter have crashed, without more information apart from two people dying.
I am concerned. I fear what will happen.
Reichstag fire. I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re trying that tactic, if they haven’t yet done so.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/ct-virginia-helicopter-crash-20170812-story.html
@Dan Kasteray
As much as it pains me to say given the recent events of late, comments policy.
@Dan
Yeah please no. We are not them. We are better then them. I want to tear down and burn every confederate flag and statue in the nation but I will not wish death on my fellow Americans. Even those as deplorable as these. Even today.
Hey, minor point: you wrote “the cause of which is alone.” Did you mean unknown there?
I just… can’t with this. C’ville is decently close to where I live. It’s the closest town/city to my parents. Heck, they were in C’ville yesterday at the hospital so my Dad could have his pacemaker checked out. If his appointment had been a day later…
I’d had such a nice day today too, going out to the Green Valley Bookfair. And then I came home to read about… this.
I haven’t felt this sick since the election.
Dan, we all understand what you’re feeling but I don’t allow comments like that here.
My heart hurts.
@Dan Kasteray
And you can be sure there would be no civilian casualties of that drone strike? Fuck drones. They weren’t okay when Obama used them and they’re not okay now.
Prayers and caring thoughts to the people who suffered in this attack.
Comments like what here? I don’t see any comments by anyone using the name or handle “Dan Kasteray”.
@palmedfire: Nice to know I’m not the only one who felt physically ill as the numbers came in.
Cancer. That’s what they are.
Sorry, surplus, I was unclear. I deleted his comment.
I just put up a post with some info on #StandWithCharlottesville vigils across the country planned for tonight and tomorrow
This isn’t the first time Donald Trump has failed to unconditionally condemn white supremacists. I can only think of two potential reasons why: either he cares more about what his supporters think of him than the country he’s in charge of, or he is himself a white supremacist. I think they’re equally likely, with a decent chance of it being both.