Unlike the original rally, "Unite the Right 2" ended without violence.[9] There was only one arrest in connection to it, stemming from a confrontation after the rally had ended.[9]
The rally saw extremely low turnout, with only 20 to 30 of Kessler's supporters marching and thousands of counter-demonstrators amid a heavy police presence.[9] The rally was widely described as a "pathetic" and "embarrassing" failure.[10][11][12][13][14]
In the aftermath of the violence, U.S. PresidentDonald Trump's controversial remarks referring to "very fine people on both sides" and condemning "hatred, bigotry, and violence on many sides" were perceived by many as implying moral equivalence between white supremacist marchers and those protesting against them.[20][27]
Commentator Ed Kilgore suggested that "by moving their act into quite literally the president's neighborhood, and setting the stage for more violence" the demonstrators sought "a fresh infusion of respectability from the politician so many of them regard as afellow traveler."[28]
Kessler initially attempted to schedule a second rally in Charlottesville, but was denied a permit by the city in December 2017.[29] Kessler sued the city onFirst Amendment grounds, saying that if he had prevailed in the lawsuit, rallies would be held in both Charlottesville and Washington, D.C.[8] In June 2018, Kessler sought a temporary injunction from the court to permit a rally inEmancipation Park on August 11 and 12.[30] On June 24, 2018, during a court hearing, Kessler unexpectedly dropped plans to hold a rally in Charlottesville, and posted plans onTwitter for a rally in Washington, D.C.[31] On August 3, 2018, after withdrawing his request for an injunction, Kessler voluntarily dismissed the lawsuit against the City of Charlottesville.[32]
A counter-demonstrator holding a sign referring toChristopher Cantwell as the "Crying Nazi" in front of theWhite House on August 11, 2018Counter-protesters and police inLafayette Square on August 12, 2018
On May 8, 2018, Kessler filed an application for a permit for the rally with theNational Park Service (NPS), under the nameWhite Civil Rights Rally.[33][34] After receiving initial approval in June 2018,[35] the NPS granted the permit for up to 400 people on August 10, 2018.[36][37][38][39][40][41]
Amid a fracturing of thealt-right movement,[42] a number of far-right individuals and groups who participated in the first Unite the Right rally—includingRichard Spencer, theLeague of the South,Christopher Cantwell,Andrew Anglin, and militia groups—indicated that they would not attend the anniversary rally, having distanced themselves from Kessler, who holds "pariah status among his fellow racists."[43]
The companiesAirbnb,Lyft, andUber issued statements reaffirming the right of hosts and drivers to "refuse service to anyone who makes them uncomfortable or violates guidelines against discrimination."[44]
In advance of the rally,D.C. MayorMuriel E. Bowser activated the District'semergency operations center[3] and returned early from asister city tour inEl Salvador to oversee the local response.[9] The District'sMetropolitan Police Department (MPD) and federal authorities made extensive preparation for "a possible volatile showdown" between "Unite the Right 2" demonstrators and counter-demonstrators.[37] Authorities aimed to avoid a repeat of the violence at the Charlottesville rally the year before.[37] MPD chief Peter Newsham said that the police would aim: "to keep the two groups separate. ... When they are in the same area at the same time, it leads to violent confrontations. Our goal is to prevent that from happening."[37] Authorities, specifically the MPD and theUnited States Park Police,[3] erected a series of barriers at Lafayette Square to separate white supremacists from counter-demonstrators.[9]
In making security plans for the event, theWashington Metro system floated plans to run separate trains for protestors and counter-demonstrators, in a bid to avoid violent clashes. Following an outcry from the public and from the Metro employees' union (ATU Local 689), who regarded the plans as special treatment for white nationalists, Metro dropped consideration of the idea.[45][46] However, on August 12, it was reported thatVienna Station had closed to the public, only allowing "Unite the Right 2" demonstrators, police, and press in (though they did reportedly stop at other stations and let the public in). The Metro was criticized by many, with people arguing that the service, as well as the police escort the "Unite the Right 2" demonstrators received, amounted to preferential treatment.[47]
Although no rally was scheduled to take place in Virginia—where the original rally took place one year earlier—the state's governor,Ralph Northam, declared a state of emergency, as smaller events were scheduled to take place in Charlottesville.[48][3]
Ahead of the rally, Newsham "remained elusive when discussing ingress and egress plans" for the "Unite the Right 2" demonstrated and implied "that the means and route Kessler's group ultimately takes could and probably would change at the last minute."[37] Ultimately, Kessler and a group of between 20 and 30 supporters got on theWashington Metro at theVienna station inNorthern Virginia and traveled to theFoggy Bottom station amid a heavy police presence, then proceeded to Lafayette Square in front of theWhite House, where Kessler gave a 15-minute speech and was met by thousands ofanti-racist counterdemonstrators.[9][49] The rally itself was scheduled for 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.,[37] but "ended early when it began to rain and two police vans escorted the demonstrators back to Virginia."[49] A local official said that the demonstrators were driven to theRosslyn station in Northern Virginia to return to the Vienna station, "where they would be greeted bycounty police who could escort them to their cars if necessary."[9]
The rally attracted thousands of counter-demonstrators, many of whom gathered atFreedom Plaza several blocks away from Lafayette Square to opposewhite supremacy.[9] Ahead of the rally, one organizer said she expected "participants with a range of political backgrounds from far-left to moderates to conservatives 'who agree that white supremacy is abhorrent.'"[6] Demonstrators included a multiracial group ofBaptists.[50] A separate group of about 20 people sang "We Shall Overcome" while marching from theMartin Luther King Jr. Memorial to theLincoln Memorial.[9] A small portion of counter-protestors wereantifa activists; someblack-clad protestors engaged in a brief confrontation with police close to13th and G Streets NW,[9] and some antifa protestors attacked journalists.[51][52]
The rally and counterdemonstrations ended without violence; there was one arrest stemming from a confrontation after the rally had ended.[9] In a separate incident, one man was charged with simple assault in Virginia after allegedly spitting on twoVirginia State Police officers outside the Vienna Metro stop.[53]
According to a preliminary estimate prepared by the District of Columbia government, the District spent $2.6 million on costs related to the rally and the related counter-demonstrators. Almost all of the costs related to staffing and overtime for D.C. police. This cost estimate does not include expenditures incurred by other agencies (theVirginia State Police,Fairfax County Police Department,Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, andU.S. Park Police) related to the rally.[54]
Ahead of the rally, D.C. MayorMuriel E. Bowser stated: "We the people of Washington, D.C. say unequivocally that we denounce hate, we denounceanti-Semitism and we denounce the rhetoric that we expect to hear this Sunday."[6] The governors of the neighboring states—Ralph Northam ofVirginia andLarry Hogan ofMaryland—made similar statements.[6] PresidentDonald Trump declined to specifically condemn white supremacy. Instead, he made a general call for unity and stated that he "condemn[s] all types of racism and acts of violence." The remarks echoed Trump's remarks following the original rally a year earlier, in which he blamed "both sides" for violence.[3] Vice PresidentMike Pence released a statement saying: "bigotry, racism and hatred run counter to our most cherished values and have no places in American society."[55]
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