It was a tense scene Saturday afternoon in Charlottesville, Virginia as members of the Ku Klux Klan rallied in opposition to the removal of a statue honoring Confederate General Robert E. Lee.
Photos and videos posted on social media Saturday show a large police presence as hundreds of counter-protesters showed up to the rally. Several eyewitnesses claim that police deployed pepper spray to disperse the anti-KKK protesters.
According to a Washington Post account of the protest, 30 members of the KKK arrived with a police escort. Many of the members of the Klan showed up with visible firearms.
As counter-protesters booed their arrival, shouts of "White Power" could be heard from members of the Klan.
Recently, city leaders in Charlottesville voted to remove Lee's statue, which has been standing in a city park since 1924.
Lee led a key battle in Charlottesville against the United States and the Army of the Potomac. While the battle in Charlottesville was considered a victory for the Confederate government, Lee's close ally Stonewall Jackson died just days later in a different battle.
Royal White Knights aka #CharlottesvilleKKK arrives with police protection, resounding boo's #BlockKKKParty pic.twitter.com/404UFkyir6
— Alex Rubinstein (@RealAlexRubi) July 8, 2017
Police escorting #CharlottesvilleKKK in armored bearcat pic.twitter.com/2zlezRbIV8
— Alex Rubinstein (@RealAlexRubi) July 8, 2017
