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Mourners gathered Sunday at memorial dedicated to Heather Heyer, who was killed last year when a participant in the white supremacist demonstrations in Charlottesville, Virginia rammed a vehicle into a crowd of counter-protesters. (Photo: Tess Owen/Twitter)
Heather Heyer Remembered 'for Daring to Stand Up' as Anti-Racists Counter DC White Supremacist Rally
"Today, we honor Heather, and all who stood up to hate, by recommitting ourselves to fighting all forms of racism and bigotry."
Aug 12, 2018
A year after James Alex Fields Jr. intentionally slammed a vehicle into a crowd protesting the racist "Unite the Right" demonstrations in Charlottesville, Virginia, killing 32-year-old Heather Heyer, many people turned to the streets and social media this weekend to remember Heyer and denounce racism ahead of a white supremacist anniversary rally near the White House.
A group that included Heyer's mother, Susan Bro, gathered at a memorial in Charlottesville on Sunday:
\u201cCommunity members beginning to form a small, locked-arm area around the memorial to allow mourners privacy as they remember Heather Heyer #Charlottesville\u201d— Ryan Miller (@Ryan Miller) 1534080905
\u201cSusan Bro, Heather Heyer's mother, arrives at the vigil for her daughter. She addressed the crowd and sang along with other community members #Charlottesville\u201d— Ryan Miller (@Ryan Miller) 1534081251
Journalist and activist Shaun King--a leading force behind an effort to track down and hold accountable the group of "Unite the Right" participants who brutally beat a black counter-protester last year--tweeted:
Progressive politicians and candidates such as Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and New York gubernatorial hopeful Cynthia Nixon also turned to Twitter to honor Heyer and celebrate the fight against racism:
\u201cA year ago, countless people were injured protesting white supremacy and Neo-Naziism in Charlottesville and and one person, Heather Heyer, was killed. Today, we honor Heather, and all who stood up to hate, by recommitting ourselves to fighting all forms of racism and bigotry.\u201d— Bernie Sanders (@Bernie Sanders) 1534088706
\u201cExactly one year ago, Heather Heyer was murdered for daring to stand up to a group of white supremacists that came together in Charlottesville to protest America\u2019s greatest asset: our diversity. I am thinking of her and her loved ones today.\u201d— Cynthia Nixon (@Cynthia Nixon) 1534086136
Several other progressive and political groups shared similar messages:
\u201cThis day last year Heather Heyer was murdered and 19 comrades were injured by a white supremacist for fighting fascism. Take some time to remember all victims of fascist violence today \u270a\ufe0f\u201d— DSA Medics (@DSA Medics) 1534083748
\u201cWe morn the loss of Heather Heyer. She was tragically killed during the white supremacist violence that erupted at the \u201cUnite the Right Rally\u201d in #Charlottesville last year. Today we stand up in memory of #HeatherHeyer. #OTD\u201d— Legal Defense Fund (@Legal Defense Fund) 1534080021
\u201cOne year after Heather Heyer was killed and 19 were injured in #Charlottesville, white nationalists will descend on the nation\u2019s capital across the street from the White House where racist rhetoric has served abusive policies. \n\nWe must continue to stand strong #AgainstHate\u201d— Human Rights Watch (@Human Rights Watch) 1534075209
Tributes to Heyer on Sunday came as anti-racist protesters gathered in Washington, D.C. to counter an event spearheaded by Jason Kessler, the man behind last year's violent white supremacist demonstrations. After Charlottesville blocked Kessler and fellow organizers from hosting an anniversary event in the city, they secured approval from federal officials to hold a rally near the White House.
\u201cAbsolutely massive crowd forms as D.C. United Against Hate rally begins at Freedom Plaza. \n#ShutItDownDC #UniteTheRight2\u201d— Michael Brice-Saddler (@Michael Brice-Saddler) 1534092831
\u201cCrowds are mustering in Freedom Plaza, denouncing the alt-right rally that\u2019s headed to DC this afternoon. Shot for @thedailybeast\u2014#UniteTheRight2 #utr2\u201d— Scott Heins (@Scott Heins) 1534094597
The Washington Postreports that Kessler "received final approval Thursday from the National Park Service for up to 400 participants at Lafayette Square for an event dubbed 'Unite the Right 2.'" The newspaper noted that "in addition to Kessler, also planning to attend the white supremacist rally, according to documents obtained by Washington City Paper from the National Park Service, are David Duke, a former Ku Klux Klan grand wizard, and several neo-Nazis and Holocaust deniers."
Meanwhile, in Charlottesville on Saturday, anti-racist protesters and students hosted demonstrations that were met with a massive police presence. That contrast to last year, when local law enforcement failed to prevent violence by the white supremacists who invaded the city, was a source of frustration among this year's peaceful protesters, as Reutersreports:
With chants like, "Cops and Klan go hand in hand," the protesters' criticisms of both police and the University of Virginia underscored the resentment that still exists a year after torch-bearing neo-Nazis marched through campus, shouting anti-Semitic messages, and beating counterprotesters.
Several students said they were angry that the police response was far larger this year compared with last year, when people carrying tiki torches the white nationalist rally went mostly unchecked.
At one point on Saturday, dozens of officers in riot gear formed a line near where the rally was taking place, prompting many protesters to rush over yelling, "Why are you in riot gear? We don't see no riot here."
Participants and reporters shared photos on social media from Saturday's Charlottesville events and a local memorial honoring Heyer:
\u201cGood morning from #Charlottesville. Heather Heyer\u2019s memorial nearly one year since she was killed\u201d— Tess Owen (@Tess Owen) 1533993196
\u201cHundreds march in peaceful protests in Charlottesville with police in riot gear nearby https://t.co/7QrmQGOoAW\u201d— CBS News (@CBS News) 1534047031
\u201c#Charlottesville Shows Up!!!\u201d— zyahna bryant. (@zyahna bryant.) 1534035327
\u201cPolice have just declared unlawful assembly at the #Charlottesville memorial march \nCrowd chanting to police "Why are you in riot gear??? - We don't see now riot here!!!"\u201d— Dr. Jason Johnson (@Dr. Jason Johnson) 1534029792
\u201cStudent protest, UVA, Charlottesville, on the anniversary of the white supremacists\u2019 torch rally.\u201d— Lois Beckett (@Lois Beckett) 1534030758
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A year after James Alex Fields Jr. intentionally slammed a vehicle into a crowd protesting the racist "Unite the Right" demonstrations in Charlottesville, Virginia, killing 32-year-old Heather Heyer, many people turned to the streets and social media this weekend to remember Heyer and denounce racism ahead of a white supremacist anniversary rally near the White House.
A group that included Heyer's mother, Susan Bro, gathered at a memorial in Charlottesville on Sunday:
\u201cCommunity members beginning to form a small, locked-arm area around the memorial to allow mourners privacy as they remember Heather Heyer #Charlottesville\u201d— Ryan Miller (@Ryan Miller) 1534080905
\u201cSusan Bro, Heather Heyer's mother, arrives at the vigil for her daughter. She addressed the crowd and sang along with other community members #Charlottesville\u201d— Ryan Miller (@Ryan Miller) 1534081251
Journalist and activist Shaun King--a leading force behind an effort to track down and hold accountable the group of "Unite the Right" participants who brutally beat a black counter-protester last year--tweeted:
Progressive politicians and candidates such as Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and New York gubernatorial hopeful Cynthia Nixon also turned to Twitter to honor Heyer and celebrate the fight against racism:
\u201cA year ago, countless people were injured protesting white supremacy and Neo-Naziism in Charlottesville and and one person, Heather Heyer, was killed. Today, we honor Heather, and all who stood up to hate, by recommitting ourselves to fighting all forms of racism and bigotry.\u201d— Bernie Sanders (@Bernie Sanders) 1534088706
\u201cExactly one year ago, Heather Heyer was murdered for daring to stand up to a group of white supremacists that came together in Charlottesville to protest America\u2019s greatest asset: our diversity. I am thinking of her and her loved ones today.\u201d— Cynthia Nixon (@Cynthia Nixon) 1534086136
Several other progressive and political groups shared similar messages:
\u201cThis day last year Heather Heyer was murdered and 19 comrades were injured by a white supremacist for fighting fascism. Take some time to remember all victims of fascist violence today \u270a\ufe0f\u201d— DSA Medics (@DSA Medics) 1534083748
\u201cWe morn the loss of Heather Heyer. She was tragically killed during the white supremacist violence that erupted at the \u201cUnite the Right Rally\u201d in #Charlottesville last year. Today we stand up in memory of #HeatherHeyer. #OTD\u201d— Legal Defense Fund (@Legal Defense Fund) 1534080021
\u201cOne year after Heather Heyer was killed and 19 were injured in #Charlottesville, white nationalists will descend on the nation\u2019s capital across the street from the White House where racist rhetoric has served abusive policies. \n\nWe must continue to stand strong #AgainstHate\u201d— Human Rights Watch (@Human Rights Watch) 1534075209
Tributes to Heyer on Sunday came as anti-racist protesters gathered in Washington, D.C. to counter an event spearheaded by Jason Kessler, the man behind last year's violent white supremacist demonstrations. After Charlottesville blocked Kessler and fellow organizers from hosting an anniversary event in the city, they secured approval from federal officials to hold a rally near the White House.
\u201cAbsolutely massive crowd forms as D.C. United Against Hate rally begins at Freedom Plaza. \n#ShutItDownDC #UniteTheRight2\u201d— Michael Brice-Saddler (@Michael Brice-Saddler) 1534092831
\u201cCrowds are mustering in Freedom Plaza, denouncing the alt-right rally that\u2019s headed to DC this afternoon. Shot for @thedailybeast\u2014#UniteTheRight2 #utr2\u201d— Scott Heins (@Scott Heins) 1534094597
The Washington Postreports that Kessler "received final approval Thursday from the National Park Service for up to 400 participants at Lafayette Square for an event dubbed 'Unite the Right 2.'" The newspaper noted that "in addition to Kessler, also planning to attend the white supremacist rally, according to documents obtained by Washington City Paper from the National Park Service, are David Duke, a former Ku Klux Klan grand wizard, and several neo-Nazis and Holocaust deniers."
Meanwhile, in Charlottesville on Saturday, anti-racist protesters and students hosted demonstrations that were met with a massive police presence. That contrast to last year, when local law enforcement failed to prevent violence by the white supremacists who invaded the city, was a source of frustration among this year's peaceful protesters, as Reutersreports:
With chants like, "Cops and Klan go hand in hand," the protesters' criticisms of both police and the University of Virginia underscored the resentment that still exists a year after torch-bearing neo-Nazis marched through campus, shouting anti-Semitic messages, and beating counterprotesters.
Several students said they were angry that the police response was far larger this year compared with last year, when people carrying tiki torches the white nationalist rally went mostly unchecked.
At one point on Saturday, dozens of officers in riot gear formed a line near where the rally was taking place, prompting many protesters to rush over yelling, "Why are you in riot gear? We don't see no riot here."
Participants and reporters shared photos on social media from Saturday's Charlottesville events and a local memorial honoring Heyer:
\u201cGood morning from #Charlottesville. Heather Heyer\u2019s memorial nearly one year since she was killed\u201d— Tess Owen (@Tess Owen) 1533993196
\u201cHundreds march in peaceful protests in Charlottesville with police in riot gear nearby https://t.co/7QrmQGOoAW\u201d— CBS News (@CBS News) 1534047031
\u201c#Charlottesville Shows Up!!!\u201d— zyahna bryant. (@zyahna bryant.) 1534035327
\u201cPolice have just declared unlawful assembly at the #Charlottesville memorial march \nCrowd chanting to police "Why are you in riot gear??? - We don't see now riot here!!!"\u201d— Dr. Jason Johnson (@Dr. Jason Johnson) 1534029792
\u201cStudent protest, UVA, Charlottesville, on the anniversary of the white supremacists\u2019 torch rally.\u201d— Lois Beckett (@Lois Beckett) 1534030758
A year after James Alex Fields Jr. intentionally slammed a vehicle into a crowd protesting the racist "Unite the Right" demonstrations in Charlottesville, Virginia, killing 32-year-old Heather Heyer, many people turned to the streets and social media this weekend to remember Heyer and denounce racism ahead of a white supremacist anniversary rally near the White House.
A group that included Heyer's mother, Susan Bro, gathered at a memorial in Charlottesville on Sunday:
\u201cCommunity members beginning to form a small, locked-arm area around the memorial to allow mourners privacy as they remember Heather Heyer #Charlottesville\u201d— Ryan Miller (@Ryan Miller) 1534080905
\u201cSusan Bro, Heather Heyer's mother, arrives at the vigil for her daughter. She addressed the crowd and sang along with other community members #Charlottesville\u201d— Ryan Miller (@Ryan Miller) 1534081251
Journalist and activist Shaun King--a leading force behind an effort to track down and hold accountable the group of "Unite the Right" participants who brutally beat a black counter-protester last year--tweeted:
Progressive politicians and candidates such as Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and New York gubernatorial hopeful Cynthia Nixon also turned to Twitter to honor Heyer and celebrate the fight against racism:
\u201cA year ago, countless people were injured protesting white supremacy and Neo-Naziism in Charlottesville and and one person, Heather Heyer, was killed. Today, we honor Heather, and all who stood up to hate, by recommitting ourselves to fighting all forms of racism and bigotry.\u201d— Bernie Sanders (@Bernie Sanders) 1534088706
\u201cExactly one year ago, Heather Heyer was murdered for daring to stand up to a group of white supremacists that came together in Charlottesville to protest America\u2019s greatest asset: our diversity. I am thinking of her and her loved ones today.\u201d— Cynthia Nixon (@Cynthia Nixon) 1534086136
Several other progressive and political groups shared similar messages:
\u201cThis day last year Heather Heyer was murdered and 19 comrades were injured by a white supremacist for fighting fascism. Take some time to remember all victims of fascist violence today \u270a\ufe0f\u201d— DSA Medics (@DSA Medics) 1534083748
\u201cWe morn the loss of Heather Heyer. She was tragically killed during the white supremacist violence that erupted at the \u201cUnite the Right Rally\u201d in #Charlottesville last year. Today we stand up in memory of #HeatherHeyer. #OTD\u201d— Legal Defense Fund (@Legal Defense Fund) 1534080021
\u201cOne year after Heather Heyer was killed and 19 were injured in #Charlottesville, white nationalists will descend on the nation\u2019s capital across the street from the White House where racist rhetoric has served abusive policies. \n\nWe must continue to stand strong #AgainstHate\u201d— Human Rights Watch (@Human Rights Watch) 1534075209
Tributes to Heyer on Sunday came as anti-racist protesters gathered in Washington, D.C. to counter an event spearheaded by Jason Kessler, the man behind last year's violent white supremacist demonstrations. After Charlottesville blocked Kessler and fellow organizers from hosting an anniversary event in the city, they secured approval from federal officials to hold a rally near the White House.
\u201cAbsolutely massive crowd forms as D.C. United Against Hate rally begins at Freedom Plaza. \n#ShutItDownDC #UniteTheRight2\u201d— Michael Brice-Saddler (@Michael Brice-Saddler) 1534092831
\u201cCrowds are mustering in Freedom Plaza, denouncing the alt-right rally that\u2019s headed to DC this afternoon. Shot for @thedailybeast\u2014#UniteTheRight2 #utr2\u201d— Scott Heins (@Scott Heins) 1534094597
The Washington Postreports that Kessler "received final approval Thursday from the National Park Service for up to 400 participants at Lafayette Square for an event dubbed 'Unite the Right 2.'" The newspaper noted that "in addition to Kessler, also planning to attend the white supremacist rally, according to documents obtained by Washington City Paper from the National Park Service, are David Duke, a former Ku Klux Klan grand wizard, and several neo-Nazis and Holocaust deniers."
Meanwhile, in Charlottesville on Saturday, anti-racist protesters and students hosted demonstrations that were met with a massive police presence. That contrast to last year, when local law enforcement failed to prevent violence by the white supremacists who invaded the city, was a source of frustration among this year's peaceful protesters, as Reutersreports:
With chants like, "Cops and Klan go hand in hand," the protesters' criticisms of both police and the University of Virginia underscored the resentment that still exists a year after torch-bearing neo-Nazis marched through campus, shouting anti-Semitic messages, and beating counterprotesters.
Several students said they were angry that the police response was far larger this year compared with last year, when people carrying tiki torches the white nationalist rally went mostly unchecked.
At one point on Saturday, dozens of officers in riot gear formed a line near where the rally was taking place, prompting many protesters to rush over yelling, "Why are you in riot gear? We don't see no riot here."
Participants and reporters shared photos on social media from Saturday's Charlottesville events and a local memorial honoring Heyer:
\u201cGood morning from #Charlottesville. Heather Heyer\u2019s memorial nearly one year since she was killed\u201d— Tess Owen (@Tess Owen) 1533993196
\u201cHundreds march in peaceful protests in Charlottesville with police in riot gear nearby https://t.co/7QrmQGOoAW\u201d— CBS News (@CBS News) 1534047031
\u201c#Charlottesville Shows Up!!!\u201d— zyahna bryant. (@zyahna bryant.) 1534035327
\u201cPolice have just declared unlawful assembly at the #Charlottesville memorial march \nCrowd chanting to police "Why are you in riot gear??? - We don't see now riot here!!!"\u201d— Dr. Jason Johnson (@Dr. Jason Johnson) 1534029792
\u201cStudent protest, UVA, Charlottesville, on the anniversary of the white supremacists\u2019 torch rally.\u201d— Lois Beckett (@Lois Beckett) 1534030758
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