{"slug":"trump-charlottesville-very-fine-people-2017","title":"Charlottesville: 'Very Fine People on Both Sides' After Neo-Nazi Violence","date":"2017-08-12","lastUpdated":"2017-08-15","description":"On August 11–12, 2017, white supremacist and neo-Nazi groups staged the 'Unite the Right' rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. On August 12, a participant drove his car into a crowd of counter-protesters, killing Heather Heyer and injuring 19 others. Trump's initial statement on August 12 condemned violence 'on many sides,' drawing immediate bipartisan criticism. After two days of pressure, he gave a prepared statement condemning white supremacists. On August 15, he reverted at a press conference, saying there were 'very fine people on both sides' of the rally and defending some attendees as 'not neo-Nazis' who were simply 'protesting the taking down of a monument.' The 'very fine people' phrase became one of the most discussed statements of his presidency.","summary":"The Unite the Right rally was organized by neo-Nazi and white supremacist groups, included marchers with torches chanting 'Jews will not replace us' on the night of August 11, and included violence against counter-protesters on August 12 before James Alex Fields Jr. drove into the crowd. Fields was later convicted of first-degree murder and federal hate crimes. Trump's August 15 press conference response defended those attending the rally as 'people who were very fine people' who were there because they 'protested the taking down of a statue' of Robert E. Lee, and drew a moral equivalence between the white supremacist rally and counter-protesters. Republican leaders including Paul Ryan, John McCain, Mitt Romney, and both former President Bushes publicly criticized the 'both sides' framing.","category":"civil-rights","severity":"critical","ongoing":false,"sources":[{"url":"https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/15/us/politics/trump-press-conference-charlottesville.html","title":"Trump Defends Initial Charlottesville Response, Repeats There Were 'Very Fine People on Both Sides'","publisher":"The New York Times"},{"url":"https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-again-blames-both-sides-in-charlottesville/2017/08/15/540a8ab2-8148-11e7-b359-15a3617c767b_story.html","title":"Trump again blames 'both sides' in Charlottesville after backing off 'many sides' comments","publisher":"The Washington Post"},{"url":"https://apnews.com/article/charlottesville-trump-very-fine-people-both-sides","title":"Trump defends 'fine people' Charlottesville comments","publisher":"The Associated Press"},{"url":"https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/15/us/politics/james-alex-fields-charlottesville-sentence.html","title":"James Fields Sentenced to Life in Prison for Charlottesville Attack","publisher":"The New York Times"}],"draft":false,"status":"published","tags":["Charlottesville","white-supremacy","civil-rights","first-term","violence","racism"],"relatedEntries":[],"timeline":[{"date":"2017-08-11","title":"Torch march: 'Jews will not replace us'","summary":"White supremacist and neo-Nazi groups march through the University of Virginia campus with torches, chanting 'Jews will not replace us' and Nazi slogans. Counter-protesters are surrounded and pepper-sprayed."},{"date":"2017-08-12","title":"Rally violence; Heather Heyer killed","summary":"The Unite the Right rally leads to street violence. James Alex Fields Jr. drives his car into a crowd of counter-protesters, killing Heather Heyer and injuring 19 others. Trump condemns 'violence on many sides.'"},{"date":"2017-08-14","title":"Trump reads prepared statement naming white supremacists","summary":"Under bipartisan pressure, Trump reads a prepared statement naming the KKK, white supremacists, and neo-Nazis as repugnant. He appears to be reading reluctantly."},{"date":"2017-08-15","title":"Trump reverts: 'very fine people on both sides'","summary":"At an unscripted press conference, Trump says there were 'very fine people on both sides' of the Charlottesville rally and repeats that 'blame on both sides' is appropriate. Republican leaders including Paul Ryan, John McCain, and both former Presidents Bush publicly criticize the statement."},{"date":"2019-03-27","title":"Fields convicted of federal hate crimes — sentenced to life","summary":"James Alex Fields Jr. is sentenced to life in federal prison plus 419 years on federal hate crime charges. The judge finds the attack was motivated by racial animus."}],"location":{"name":"Charlottesville, VA","lat":38.0293,"lng":-78.4767},"custom":{"era":"first-term","posture":"reported","warCrimeClassification":"enabling","internationalLaw":[],"iccRelevance":false,"victims":"Heather Heyer, killed August 12, 2017; 19 people injured in the vehicle attack; counter-protesters assaulted throughout the day; Jewish and minority communities threatened by the march","structuredPerpetrators":[{"name":"Donald Trump","role":"President; declined to unequivocally condemn white supremacist violence; drew moral equivalence between white supremacist rally and counter-protesters; defended attendees as 'very fine people'","institution":"White House"},{"name":"James Alex Fields Jr.","role":"Driver; convicted of first-degree murder and federal hate crimes for Charlottesville vehicle attack","institution":"Unite the Right rally participant"}],"updateLog":[{"date":"2017-08-15","summary":"Documented from August 15 press conference."}]}}