Trump condemns hate violence after Virginia declares emergency

Without directly mentioning the Charlottesville incident, the US President Donald Trump on Saturday condemned the hate and violence after the state of Virginia declared emergency.

The state declared the emergency after a big white nationalist rally turned violent in Charlottesville in Virginia.

"We ALL must be united and condemn all that hate stands for. There is no place for this kind of violence in America," Trump wrote on Twitter.

Earlier on Saturday, Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe declared the state of emergency as thousands of white nationalists, neo-Confederates and right-wing protesters clashed during the "Unite the Right" demonstrations, Xinhua reported.

Unspecified number of protesters were arrested at the Emancipation Park, the site of the rally in the downtown, state police said.

Several people were reportedly injured during the clashes before the official start of the rally scheduled at noon.

There were reports of urine being tossed at reporters and the air was said to be filled with pepper spray, mace and tear gas.

Many of the protesters "express beliefs that directly contradict our community's values of diversity, inclusion and mutual respect," Teresa Sullivan, President of the University of Virginia.

She urged the students and university staffers to avoid the rally and physical confrontation.

"To approach the rally and confront the activists would only satisfy their craving for spectacle," said the university president.

"Many of the individuals coming to Charlottesville are doing so in order to express viewpoints many people, including me, find abhorrent," the state governor also said in a written statement.

"In the event that such violent or unlawful conduct occurs, I have instructed state public safety officials to act quickly and decisively in order to keep the public and themselves safe," the governor said.

The historic city, home of Thomas Jefferson and the University of Virginia, has become the latest battleground over the contested removal of Confederate monuments.

In April, the city council voted to remove the bronze statue of pro-slavery Confederate General Robert Lee. The removal is on hold pending litigation but has angered many white supremacists since the council voting.

--IANS

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