Cue the Counterprotesters— Stage Left

Abstract

This chapter discusses the Charlottesville Police Department that prepared for the July 8 rally led by Christopher Barker by gathering intelligence on the groups expected to protest against the Klan. It describes the police department's intelligence gathering, which included harvesting what was openly available on the internet, and interviews by Charlottesville police officers of groups and individuals that are likely to stage counterprotests. It also details how the police tactic backfired after democratic groups accused the police of engaging in an intimidation tactic intended to curtail leftist speech and expressive conduct. The chapter looks into the Antifa and Black Lives Matter national movements as the counterprotest groups planning to oppose the Klan rally. It explains that Antifa is a conglomeration of groups opposed to fascism, while the Black Lives Matter movement arose in reaction to incidents of unjust killings and beatings of African Americans by police.