Last year hundreds of far right extremists gathered in Charlottesville VA to protest the removal of the statue of General Robert E. Lee. The city mayor refused to grant a permit to the various alt-right groups, however the ACLU argued that the ban was an infringement on the 1st Amendment and a judge from the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Virginia gave the go-ahead on grounds that the rally was protected under the 1st Amendment or Freedom of Speech. The Unite the Right claimed the monument to be an historic reminder of the War Between the States, while the counter-protestors argued that the time to eradicate all traces glorifying slavery from the South. The KKK and other White Power radicals held a torch-lit parade reminiscent of the Nazi marches in the 1930s.
The next day turned violent with battles between police and the protestors. The governor declared a state of emergency and the Virginia State Police shut down the streets, but in the afternoon a bigot drove his car into a crowd, killing Heather Heye.
For the most part the police stood and watched the mayhem.
Donald Trump criticized both sides, but infamously said, “There are very fine people on both sides”
A year passed and the far-right has fought in the streets across this nation.
This weekend they issued a call for a rally in front of the White House.
Less than a hundred showed up.
They are not defeated, simply changing their tactics, but the Freedom of Speech was not written into the Constitution to shield hate-mongers.
Resistance is not futile.