DNC Chair on Third Anniversary of Deadly White Supremacy Rally in Charlottesville
August 12, 2020
DNC Chair Tom Perez released the following statement on the third anniversary of the white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, VA, and the murder of Heather Heyer by one of the rally’s participants:
“Three years ago today, our nation watched in horror as hate and bigotry flooded the streets of Charlottesville. White supremacists, emboldened by this president, left their hoods at home and marched in torchlight, unafraid to show their faces. They chanted racist and anti-Semitic slurs, celebrated symbols of slavery, and viciously murdered Heather Heyer, who had shown up to fight back against their message of hate.
“Instead of condemning the neo-Nazis and Klan members leading this movement, President Trump defended them as ‘very fine people.’ And in the three years since, Trump and his allies have not only allowed such hatred to go unchecked, they have actively encouraged and enabled its perpetrators.
“What we saw three years ago was not an isolated incident. It was the product of a country being led by those more interested in stoking fear and division than hope and unity; by those who believe in fueling hate instead of fighting it. It was a result of the systemic racism that plagues every aspect of our society. Make no mistake: The same sentiment that took to the streets in Charlottesville also took the life of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
“This November, voters will not only make their voices heard on critical issues like health care, Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security. Bigotry will also be on the ballot. And as Americans, we need to elect a president and vice president who will fight for dignity, equality, and justice for all. We need an administration that will confront our nation’s history of racism, not celebrate it from the Oval Office. Unlike Donald Trump, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris know there are not ‘many sides’ to the issue of white supremacy. There is right and wrong. In fact, it was this display of unbridled hatred that inspired Vice President Biden to take on Donald Trump and restore the soul of our nation. Those who gathered in Charlottesville in the name of racism were wrong, and it is up to all of us to stand up for what is right.”