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The man who organized the Charlottesville rally is in hiding and too toxic for the alt-right
The man who organized the Charlottesville rally is in hiding — and too toxic for the alt-right
By Kristine Phillips August 22 at 2:07 PM
On the day after a white nationalist rally rocked Charlottesville, Jason Kessler stood behind a bank of microphones and introduced himself as the organizer of the “Unite the Right” protest that had sparked the violence in the city.
Screams and boos drowned out Kessler’s voice as he tried to address the deadly unrest that had engulfed the Aug. 12 rally. The news conference was ultimately shut down; police officers, whom Kessler accused of not doing enough to stop the violence, rushed him to safety as angry counterprotesters chased him away.
Now, Kessler is scorned not only by those who screamed at him outside Charlottesville City Hall on the day after the death of counterprotester Heather Heyer.
Far-right figures have since distanced themselves from Kessler, as well, an indication that his fairly new allegiance with the loosely organized alt-right abruptly ended after his Twitter account tweeted a broadside against Heyer nearly a week later. .... Richard Spencer, a leader of the alt-right, which seeks a whites-only state, slammed Kessler, saying attacking Heyer was “morally dubious” and “beyond reckless.” .... On Twitter, Spencer urged others to stop associating with Kessler.
....
Kristine Phillips is a general assignment reporter for The Washington Post. Contact her at kristine.phillips@washpost.com. Follow @kristinegWP
By Kristine Phillips August 22 at 2:07 PM
On the day after a white nationalist rally rocked Charlottesville, Jason Kessler stood behind a bank of microphones and introduced himself as the organizer of the “Unite the Right” protest that had sparked the violence in the city.
Screams and boos drowned out Kessler’s voice as he tried to address the deadly unrest that had engulfed the Aug. 12 rally. The news conference was ultimately shut down; police officers, whom Kessler accused of not doing enough to stop the violence, rushed him to safety as angry counterprotesters chased him away.
Now, Kessler is scorned not only by those who screamed at him outside Charlottesville City Hall on the day after the death of counterprotester Heather Heyer.
Far-right figures have since distanced themselves from Kessler, as well, an indication that his fairly new allegiance with the loosely organized alt-right abruptly ended after his Twitter account tweeted a broadside against Heyer nearly a week later. .... Richard Spencer, a leader of the alt-right, which seeks a whites-only state, slammed Kessler, saying attacking Heyer was “morally dubious” and “beyond reckless.” .... On Twitter, Spencer urged others to stop associating with Kessler.
I will no longer associate w/ Jason Kessler; no one should. Heyer's death was deeply saddening. "Payback" is a morally reprehensible idea.
Link to tweet
....
Kristine Phillips is a general assignment reporter for The Washington Post. Contact her at kristine.phillips@washpost.com. Follow @kristinegWP
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