PoliticsRacismPoliticsAlt-right

'Unite The Right' Organizer Flees His Press Conference In Charlottesville

Police escorted him from the scene.
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By 

Senior Reporter, HuffPost

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A press conference in Charlottesville, Virginia, led by “Unite The Right” organizer Jason Kessler was cut short just minutes after he took the mic Sunday afternoon.

Social media videos and images showed police escorted Kessler, a so-called “alt-right” activist affiliated with Saturday’s deadly rally, away from the press conference he set up outside Charlottesville City Hall as he was swarmed by a group protesting him.

Several reporters and photographers on the scene captured the chaos as Kessler’s event broke down. 

Video shows Kessler was largely drowned out by loud chants and music from the crowd. 

Soon after the press conference dissolved into chaos, Kessler took to Twitter to decry the incident as a violation of free speech.

Kessler, one of the organizers behind the weekend’s protest in Charlottesville attended by Nazis, Ku Klux Klan members and white nationalists, released a statement earlier on Sunday blaming police officers and the Charlottesville government for Saturday’s mayhem. 

The violence peaked when a man attending the rally drove his car into an anti-racist group, killing 32-year-old counter-protester Heather Heyer.

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Before You Go

Clashes In Charlottesville
(01 of24)
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Neo-Nazis and white supremacists encircle and chant at counter-protesters at the base of a Thomas Jefferson statue on Aug. 11, 2017, after marching with torches through the University of Virginia campus in Charlottesville, Virginia. (credit:Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
(02 of24)
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Neo-Nazis and white supremacists take part in the "Unite the Right" rally. (credit:NurPhoto via Getty Images)
(03 of24)
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The group marched through the University of Virginia campus with torches. (credit:Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
(04 of24)
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A man wears Nazi regalia before the "Unite the Right" rally. (credit:Andy Campbell)
(05 of24)
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Counter-protesters arrive at the "Unite the Right" rally. (credit:Andy Campbell)
(06 of24)
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White supremacists carry Nazi flags on Aug. 12, 2017. (credit:Andy Campbell)
(07 of24)
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A white supremacist carries the Confederate flag as he walks past counter-demonstrators. (credit:Joshua Roberts / Reuters)
(08 of24)
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White nationalists march through the street. (credit:Joshua Roberts / Reuters)
(09 of24)
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A sign on a business in downtown Charlottesville, Virginia. (credit:Christopher Mathias)
(10 of24)
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Police arrive at the scene of protests after a state of emergency is announced in Charlottesville, Virginia. (credit:Andy Campbell)
(11 of24)
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A man is down during a clash between white nationalist protesters and a group of counter-protesters. (credit:Joshua Roberts / Reuters)
(12 of24)
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White nationalists and counter-protesters clash. (credit:Joshua Roberts / Reuters)
(13 of24)
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A protester receives first-aid during a clash between white nationalists and counter-protesters. (credit:Joshua Roberts / Reuters)
(14 of24)
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A man makes a slashing motion across his throat toward counter-protesters as he marches with other white nationalists and neo-Nazis during the "Unite the Right" rally. (credit:Chip Somodevilla via Getty Images)
(15 of24)
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A white supremacist stands behind militia members after he scuffled with a counter-demonstrator. (credit:Joshua Roberts / Reuters)
(16 of24)
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Virginia State Police use pepper spray as they move in during a clash between white nationalist protesters and counter-protesters. (credit:Joshua Roberts / Reuters)
(17 of24)
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Hundreds of white nationalists and neo-Nazis march down East Market Street toward Lee Park during the "Unite the Right" rally. (credit:Chip Somodevilla via Getty Images)
(18 of24)
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A smoke bomb is thrown at a group of counter-protesters. (credit:Joshua Roberts / Reuters)
(19 of24)
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Virginia State Troopers stand under a statue of Robert E. Lee. White nationalists descended on Charlottesville to protest the statue's removal. (credit:Joshua Roberts / Reuters)
(20 of24)
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Anti-fascist counter-protesters wait outside Lee Park to hurl insults as white nationalists and neo-Nazis are forced out after the "Unite the Right" rally was declared an unlawful gathering. (credit:Chip Somodevilla via Getty Images)
(21 of24)
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A group of counter-protesters rally against white nationalists. (credit:Joshua Roberts / Reuters)
(22 of24)
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A man is seen with an injury during a clash between white nationalists and counter-protesters. (credit:Joshua Roberts / Reuters)
(23 of24)
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Protesters and counter-protesters after being pepper-sprayed and/or maced. (credit:Christopher Mathias)
(24 of24)
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David Duke (C), participates in the white nationalist rally. (credit:Justin Ide / Reuters)
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