Charlottesville Gov't Expresses Condolences on Victims of Far-Right Violence

The Charlottesville city government has expressed condolences on the deaths of three Virginia residents, who lost their lives as a result of violent clashes between far-right activists and counterprotesters in the city.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — On Saturday, white nationalists organized a rally in Charlottesville, protesting against the removal of a monument to Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee. The rally subsequently led to clashes and culminated in a car ramming attack, leaving one woman, Heather Heyer, dead and more than 30 injured. In addition, two Virginia State Police troopers — Jay Cullen and Berke Bates — died when their helicopter crashed, as they patrolled near the site of clashes.

"On behalf of the City of Chatlottesville and all of our citizens, we send our deepest condolences to the families and friends of Ms. Heyer, Lieutenant Cullen and Trooper-Pilot Bates. Their loss is a loss for all of us and we mourn with you," the city authorities said in a statement published on the official Twitter account of the city government.

Terry McAuliffe, the governor of the state of Virginia, declared a state of emergency in Charlottesville.

In a statement, President Donald Trump condemned the violence in Charlottesville, calling the events a "display of hatred, bigotry and violence on many sides."

Several US senators, including Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, Tim Scott, Cory Gardner and Michael Bennet, have also condemned Charlottesville violence as an act of "domestic terrorism."