The typically sedate college town of Charlottesville, Virginia, erupted in chaos on Saturday, as white supremacists clashed with counter-protesters in scenes often resembling all-out street brawls. Far-right extremists, some outfitted with Nazi SS-style helmets and armed with medieval shields and sticks, openly battled demonstrators, including members of anti-fascist, or Antifa, groups. Many police officers had already gathered in the square that morning, forming a barricade to break up the groups. “There was no police presence on the streets themselves,” said Brittany Caine-Conley, chief organizer of Congregate Charlottesville, a clergy group dedicated to social justice. “As the alt-right, Nazi groups began to march toward the park, they were often creating pockets of violence.”

Source: Huffington Post August 14, 2017 23:37 UTC