Virginia governor to white supremacists: “Go home”

In the aftermath of the deadly violence that erupted at a gathering of right-wing extremists in Charlottesville, Virginia on Saturday, Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe had an extremely clear message for the white supremacists wreaking havoc in his state: Go home.

McAuliffe appeared before reporters at a press conference yesterday to confirm the deaths of three people present at Saturday’s explosive “Unite The Right” rally, a death toll that included two law enforcement officials whose helicopter crashed while circling the event, and a woman who was killed when a car plowed through a crowd of counter-demonstrators.

But McAuliffe seized the opportunity to address the white supremacists and neo-Nazis at the center of the chaos directly, urging them to take their hatred and bigotry elsewhere.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8hsZAaZMj4?feature=oembed

“I have a message to the white supremacists and the Nazis who came into Charlottesville today, said McAuliffe. “Go home. You are not wanted in this great commonwealth. You pretend that you are patriots, but you are anything but a patriot."

McAuliffe’s powerful words stand in sharp contrast to Donald Trump’s watered down response via Twitter just hours before.

https://twitter.com/udfredirect/status/896467135391596544

Later, Trump spoke from his resort and golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey, where he failed to unequivocally condemn the actions of white supremacists specifically, and instead opted to blame “many sides” for their contributions to Saturday’s violence.

In these frightening and uncertain times, we’re so grateful for leaders like McAuliffe who bravely stand up to racists, bigots, and people who seek to harm others.

“You came here today to hurt people,” McAuliffe told white supremacists Saturday. “There is no place for you here, there is no place for you in America.”

Thank you, Gov. McAuliffe. We couldn’t agree more.