White supremacists posing as BLM protesters instigated Richmond riots: Police

White supremacists posing as Black Lives Matter protesters instigated riots that broke out over the weekend in Virginia.

Six people were arrested during the unrest, which was billed as a "Richmond Stands With Portland" rally, and law enforcement officials confirmed the violence was sparked by right-wing hate groups, reported WSLS-TV.

“There were white supremacists marching under the banner of Black Lives Matter, an attempt to undermine an otherwise overwhelmingly peaceful movement toward social justice,” Richmond mayor Levar Stoney. “We’ve spoken on many occasions about those who’ve chosen a more violent route to express their discontent and what that does for the overall movement toward social justice.”

Stoney thanked Black Lives Matter protesters for trying to stop the white supremacists from provoking violence and destruction.

"We have identified some individuals who have been seen with the Boogaloo boys and some Antifa groups around the area," said Richmond police chief Gerald Smith on Sunday. "The majority of those individuals who were there last night were Caucasian."

Two of the suspects were charged with felony assault on a law enforcement officer and felony possession of a firearm while rioting.

The other four were charged with unlawful assembly, a misdemeanor.

Police declared the protest an unlawful assembly around 11 p.m. Saturday after officers were attacked with rocks, batteries and other objects.

Officers used chemical agents to disperse several hundred people setting fires, breaking windows and blocking traffic on their way to police headquarters.