Virginia's Democratic Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam tweeted a statement on Saturday morning ahead of a planned "Unite the Right" demonstration in Charlottesville, urging protesters not to give demonstrators an "ugly and violent" response to their rally, The Hill reported Saturday.
"White supremacists have descended upon Charlottesville again to evoke a reaction as ugly and violent as their beliefs – just as they did before, I am urging Virginians to deny them the satisfaction," Northam, who is also running for governor in the state, said in a statement.
Police are anticipating 2,000 to 6,000 people to participate in the rally of white supremacists, white nationalists and alt-right groups, CNN reported. The rally is in protest of Charlottesville's decision to remove a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee.
Friday evening, protesters gathered on the University of Virginia campus and were met with counterprotesters, but the groups were dispersed by university police.
Charlottesville Mayor Mike Signer also slammed the protest, calling it "a cowardly parade of hatred, bigotry, racism, and intolerance."
And UVA President Teresa A. Sullivan said she condemned "the unprovoked assault on members of our community, including University personnel who were attempting to maintain order."
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