Like so many stories these days, I first saw a video pop up on Twitter last night from someone claiming that there was a massive KKK march going on near Charlottesville, Virginia. And when you look at the wide shot and the string of torches you might be tempted to think the same thing at first.

Happening now near UVA pic.twitter.com/IxWOFnUhA2

— Tim Dodson (@Tim_Dodson) August 12, 2017

The depressing sight unfolding here was a march taking place in Virginia which was a prelude to a planned rally today, ostensibly aiming to block the removal of a statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee. Any of you who are long time readers of this site likely know that I’ve been a staunch opponent of the attempted erasure of our nation’s history by liberal activists (even the uglier bits of our history) and a supporter of those who are rightly proud of their southern heritage. Still, what we were watching take place last night and the comments coming from a few of the “spokesmen” organizing these events were depressing to say the least. The BBC had some of the details and a few more pictures.

Hundreds of US white nationalists have rallied at the University of Virginia, protesting against plans to remove of a statue of a confederate general.

The group waved torches and chanted “Jews will not replace us” and “white lives matter” as they marched through the Charlottesville university.

There were clashes with counter protesters, while the local mayor condemned the march as racist.

A larger “United the Right” rally is planned in the city on Saturday.

Here’s a short video from CNN so you can see how they’re playing this up in predictable fashion.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wSRwkubLoNw

Honestly, I barely know where to begin. There has been a very heated but worthwhile debate going on for some time now over the preservation of Confederate history, the right to honor the war dead and their families from the Confederate era and all of the associated baggage that goes along with that. And those who wish to fight for those particular causes have a strong case to make, even if you rarely (if ever) hear those arguments on mainstream cable news outlets. But let me tell you what doesn’t help your cause one single bit:

People marching along the streets chanting, “Jews will not replace us.”

Seriously? Precisely which “Jews” are these who are trying to drive you out of your homes, businesses and country? Speaking as someone who is constantly exhausted at hearing the stereotypical attacks from the left on anyone expressing any number of conservative ideas, such as calling conservatives “Nazis,” do you know what you sound like? Nazis.

And while we’re on the subject of chants, allow me to toss another kerosene soaked log on the bonfire here. Hearing a bunch of you chanting “White Lives Matter” is every bit as dumb and counterproductive as having to endlessly listen to liberals chanting “Black Lives Matter.” Has the discussion actually sunk to the point where you’re adopting the rhetoric of the Antifa hard left? The whole point from the beginning was not to say that black lives don’t matter, but that all lives matter equally in America and we’re supposed to be moving toward a colorblind society where it’s simply accepted that the rights of all citizens stand on equal footing. The BLM movement is destructive in that it seeks to push a formerly imbalanced system equally out of whack in a new direction. “White Lives Matter” isn’t helping anyone.

CNN is running comments from Jason Kessler in a loop this morning. He may be well intentioned when it comes to the question of preserving Confederate history, but his ongoing diatribe about fighting for the right to “protect white culture” makes him the perfect poster boy for everyone on the left who seeks to paint all conservatives with the same racist brush.

And just as an aside before we go, those of you joining up with that new secessionists push for the South to break away from US again: You’re really not helping either. In fact, you’re driving away some of your staunchest allies in seeking true, colorblind equality and the need to remember our history, as well as the right to celebrate and respect it as appropriate. (No… not the institution of slavery or a celebration of racism, liberals, so don’t waste any of your rotten tomatoes by tossing them here.)

UPDATE: (Jazz) Via Twitter, one of the aforementioned white supremacists has crashed a car into the crowd injuring multiple counter-protesters. The wheels have come off and this is, as mentioned above, not a “conservative” protest on principles. There is an actual group of white supremacists, neo-nazis and whatever else you’d like to call them turning this into a race riot. The usual warning applies, as this video is graphic and contains some pretty horrible violence.

Video of car hitting anti-racist protestors. Let there be no confusion: this was deliberate terrorism. My prayers with victims. Stay home. pic.twitter.com/MUOZs71Pf4

— Brennan Gilmore (@brennanmgilmore) August 12, 2017

UPDATE 2: (Jazz) This story about the car running down the protesters is changing by the moment, with some witnesses claiming that the driver was not part of the White Supremacist group, but rather someone who panicked when their car was attacked. Please see John Sexton’s more recent post for further updates.