The University of Virginia on Thursday commemorated those who died five years ago at the “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville where White supremacists clashed with counterprotesters.
University President Jim Ryan asked the school community to observe a moment of silence when the U.Va. Chapel clock struck noon. Afterward, “the Chapel bells will ring again in remembrance of this solemn anniversary.”
“I know that, for many, the five-year marker of the so-called ‘Unite the Right’ rally brings difficult memories and a sobering reminder that our country is not yet free from bigotry, racism, and intolerance,” Mr. Ryan wrote in a letter. “But I hope that we can also recall the strength, compassion, and resilience of our community and our Charlottesville neighbors.”
Charlottesville woman Heather Heyer was killed after being run down by a car during the rally.
The driver, James Alex Fields Jr., is serving a life sentence for multiple charges stemming from the attack, most notably first-degree murder. More than a dozen other people were injured in the incident.
Virginia State Police Troopers H. Jay Cullen and Berke M. Bates also died when the helicopter they were piloting crashed into a wooded area. The crash wasn’t caused by any protest activity on the ground.
Mr. Ryan also said an art exhibition and a panel discussion hosted by the Karsh Center for Law and Democracy and the U.Va. Jewish Studies program will be a part of the five-year anniversary events.
The 2017 rally was organized in protest over the removal of a Robert E. Lee statue in downtown Charlottesville.
On Aug. 11, the night before the two-day rally, neo-Nazis, klansman and other White supremacists marched through U.Va.’s campus carrying tiki torches and chanted the antisemitic slogan of “Jews will not replace us.”
During the Saturday rally, Unite the Right marchers were first encountered by peaceful interfaith protesters. Melees broke out later on between White supremacist demonstrators and anti-fascist counterprotesters.
• Matt Delaney can be reached at mdelaney@washingtontimes.com.
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