
White supremacists and neo-Nazis arrived to support James Alex Fields Jr., who was arraigned at the Charlottesville, Virginia courthouse Monday for allegedly ramming his car into counter-protesters.
In support of Fields Jr., a man spoke to press claiming that the group was legally protesting and had a "legal permit" to hold their demonstration. "We defended ourselves," the man said. "While the enemy brought improvised flame-throwers. While they brought sticks and they brought knives."
"We defended ourselves against thugs in a battle that was brought by this city that wanted a blood-bath," he continued. "The police were given a stand-down order as we were trying to exercise our legal, Constitutional right to have a permit."
There is no Constitutional right to a permit, rather there is a Constitutional right to demonstrate and protest, and permits are often assigned by the city for such events.
"This is on the hands of the city government, of the police and of the radical left," he went on.
One reporter asked the man if he "has any accountability for this death at all."
"Not at all," the man replied.
Fields Jr. appeared via video in the courtroom to hear charges and plead.
One woman watching the man speak shouted out, "Oh, take your drunk ass home!"
Another man quickly joined beside the one speaking to accuse the media of being a "lynch mob" saying that the arrest and trial of Fields Jr. was a "lynching."
Heather Cronk, the co-director of Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ), explained that the people of Charlottesville were standing up against Nazis and white supremacists, "who are coming into this community and who are fueling hatred and violence."
You can watch the statements below:
James Fields JR appeared via video in #Charlottesville District Court, afterward an #altright supporter yelled outside courthouse:@CBSNews pic.twitter.com/chep5mSDxR
— Bo Erickson (@BoKnowsNews) August 14, 2017
Outside the courthouse, two men screamed that a black city councilman was to blame for the violence, not racists and white nationalists. pic.twitter.com/5iOLvBV6pa
— Ned Oliver (@nedoliver) August 14, 2017
Woman responds to nationalists outside courthouse https://t.co/XgvPK6hdUl pic.twitter.com/DCcjAs4lC3
— Brendan Ponton (@brendanponton) August 14, 2017





