Well, it appears the Unite the Right rally was a bust for both white ethnonationalists and the left. The event was held on the anniversary of the first rally in Charlottesville, at which a white supremacist activist drove his car into a crowd, killing Heather Heyer. Unlike the previous event, this rally was a subdued affair.
The recent demonstration in Washington D.C. was a mere shell of last year’s event, with the counter-protesters significantly outnumbering the rallygoers. Unfortunately for the left, it will be exceedingly difficult to use this gathering to smear the conservative movement.
And they had such high hopes!
Converging On D.C.
One of the most pressing questions in the days leading up to the rally was related to the number of attendees that would show up. Jason Kessler, the organizer of the event, claimed that he expected 1,000 rallygoers. Other outlets speculated that there might a few hundred people. Apparently, both were wrong.
Only about 20 – 30 people showed up.
Interestingly enough, about 1,000 counter protesters arrived to oppose the message of the white nationalist demonstrators. Fox News reported that less than 20 people were with Kessler’s group when they arrived in D.C. They were met by counter-protesters who shouted “Nazis go home,” and “you are not welcome here.” Other outlets said that the number was closer to 30. Either way, it is clear that the rally was not a success.
Before the date of the rally arrived, The Hill noted that enthusiasm for the rally was low, even among white supremacist leaders. Andrew Anglin, publisher of the Daily Stormer, a well-known neo-Nazi website criticized the event:
“These post-Charlottesville marches have no purpose, other than to make anyone who supports white self-determination look like a fringe lunatic.”
Richard Spencer, a key leader in the alt-right movement, tweeted: I know that many have good intentions in going, but a rally like this does not make sense at this time. I don’t know exactly what will happen, but it probably will not be good.”
The Left Didn’t Get Their Story
Speculation was high in the week leading up to the event. Many wondered if there would be another violent incident similar to the one that occurred last year. Left-leaning news outlets did what they do best: They argued that the groups present at the rally were a part of mainstream American conservatism. But from the beginning, it was clear that our intrepid fourth estate would not get the story they wanted.
President Donald Trump also disappointed the left by tweeting: “The riots in Charlottesville a year ago resulted in senseless death and division. We must come together as a nation. I condemn all types of racism and acts of violence. Peace to ALL Americans!”
Uh oh. The president posted a tweet condemning racism only two days before the rally! It looks like the media won’t be able to slam him for being silent on the issue. However, this did not stop them from going after Trump. Here are some quotes from left-leaning journalists about the tweet:
The Huffington Post
“One year removed, many say the president still employs racist rhetoric, illustrated in part by his continual criticism of black NFL players who kneel during the national anthem to protest police brutality and social inequality.”
Dan Rather
“When Trump criticizes ‘all types of racism’ he’s using false equivalence to wink at those who peddle in the distortions of white grievance,”
Business Insider
“Trump’s refusal to specifically condemn white supremacists in Saturday’s tweet mirrors his reaction to last year’s rally, when he claimed the violence came from ‘many sides.’”
The Chicago Tribune
“President Donald Trump on Saturday condemned ‘all types of racism and acts of violence’ on the first anniversary of the deadly white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, calling for the nation to ‘come together’ after a week in which he stoked racial divisions with attacks on black athletes and other minorities.”
It was a valiant effort, but in the end, it’s another example of the biased media castigating Trump for doing something positive.
White Nationalist Movement In Disarray?
The left would have American minorities believe that white supremacy is alive and well in the United States. They want to convince the American public that groups such as these represent a political Leviathan that threatens to savagely decimate minority communities and bring the nation back to the days of slavery and Jim Crow.
Indeed, the left attempts to paint Trump supporters as proof of a rapid resurgence of racial hatred in America. However, the failure of this event demonstrates the opposite, which means we likely not see many media reports about the failed rally in the days to come.
The reality is that groups like the Ku Klux Klan and Neo-Nazis are no longer relevant in American society. Yes, the beleaguered remnants of the Democratic Party’s hate groups will continue to hold their asinine events and spout their hateful messages, but they do not represent the prevailing zeitgeist of American society today, nor do they impact the everyday lives of minorities in the U.S. When it comes to race relations in the United States, we all have more work to do. But the lackluster turnout of this event is a profound reminder of how far we have come.
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