Obama's Charlottesville tweet attracts more than 3 million social media users

Former U.S. president Barack Obama's tweet condemning racism in the aftermath of a far-right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, has become the most liked tweet ever in the history of Twitter.

The former president tweeted a quote from late South African president Nelson Mandela's 1994 autobiography 'Long Walk to Freedom' that said: "No one is born hating another person because of the colour of his skin or his background or his religion."

Obama's tweet has been endorsed by more than 3 million social media users.

"People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite."

White nationalist protesters opposing the removal of a statue of Confederate General Robert E Lee from Emancipation Park rallied in Charlottesville on Saturday in which three people were killed and 35 others were injured.

Many waved burning torches and wore Nazi or other white supremacist regalia. They were met with counter-protests from anti-fascist campaigners.

Trump received widespread criticism for failing to specifically rebuke white nationalists for violent protests in Charlottesville, Virginia.

"We condemn in the strongest possible terms this egregious display of hatred, bigotry and violence on many sides," Trump said, during a short statement, adding that he had been closely following terrible events unfolding in Virginia.

Mentioning that the current unfolding of events in Virginia is not linked to his Presidency, Trump said, "It has been going on for a long time in our country -- not Donald Trump, not Barack Obama. It has been going on for a long, long time. It has no place in America.