White Supremacist Richard Spencer leads a KKK-style mob of torch-wielding protesters chanting ‘you will not replace us’ in fight to keep a statue of Robert E. Lee in Virginia park
Alt-right leader Richard Spencer, 39, led the protests held in Virginia
The marchers were protesting against the removal of a Robert Lee monument
Demonstration only lasted ten minutes before police were called
Mayor has denounced the gathering, saying it echoes practices of the KKK
By TIMOTHYNA DUNCAN
DAILYMAIL.COM
14 May 2017
Alt-Right leader and White Supremacist Richard Spencer led a torch-wielding mob crying ‘Russia is our friend’ and ‘You Will not replace us’, in protest of the removal of a controversial statue of the pro-slavery Civil War general Robert E. Lee.
The marchers showed up in their dozens at the park in Charlottesville, Virginia, where the monument is on display, on Saturday at 9pm, the Daily Progress reported.
But only ten minutes into the protest, police were called because of an altercation among some of the marchers, forcing the demonstrators to scatter.
Public figures have condemned the gathering, which some, including the city’s Mayor, say echoes the practices of the Ku Klux Klan.
‘[The event] was either profoundly ignorant or was designed to instill fear in our minority populations in a way that hearkens back to the days of the KKK,’ Charlottesville Mayor Mike Signer said.
‘Either way, as mayor of this city, I want everyone to know this: we reject this intimidation. We are a welcoming city, but such intolerance is not welcome here.’
The controversy surrounding the statue began in April when Charlottesville City Council voted 3-2, to remove and sell the monument. The debate about the statue had been ongoing for a year and it has attracted leaders from the alt-right group including Spencer.
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