violence in Charlottesville
Homeland Security warned Virginia police ahead of Charlottesville rally that the event would be 'among the most violent' clashes to date
The Department of Homeland Security had anticipated that the white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, earlier this month was going to be one of the "most violent" clashes "to date" with anti-fascist anarchists, Politico reports. The department tipped off Virginia law enforcement three days before the Unite the Right rally in a confidential report. Ultimately, one person died and many others were injured in the violence that erupted at the event.
The DHS memo warned that "anarchist extremists and white supremacist extremists online are calling on supporters to be prepared for or to instigate violence at the 12 August rally" and that one suspected white supremacist had urged followers to "arms," saying the "antifa must be destroyed."
The advance intelligence makes some critics wonder why a better security plan had not been put in place before the rally. Virginia police "were woefully underprepared for something they had advance notice of and plenty of actionable intelligence about," retired FBI supervisory special agent James Gagliano told Politico.
"They predicted it," added a senior law enforcement analyst. "[Each side was saying] 'All right everybody, go get your weapons, and we're gonna go kick their asses.' And that's exactly what happened in Charlottesville." Read the full report at Politico.