Radio Sputnik’s By Any Means Necessary spoke with one of the anti-racist, anti-fascist activists who was injured in the incident, speaking about the moments leading up the crash, and the importance of people getting involved in fighting back against the kind of hatred and bigotry that fueled Field’s actions.
The activist, who asked to remain nameless for security reason, said he came to join the counter protest because "Charlottesville is a city I care very much about, I have deep ties there. So, being there to defend that city and to defend that community was incredibly important to me, but it was also important to be supporting (Black Lives Matter and other progressive movements) as much as possible."
"There were thousands of people marching in the streets, cheering and holding banners of love and support and anti-racism," he said, "It was joyous, it was an incredibly powerful moment for everybody involved. It was the happiest I felt all weekend."
The activist said that their serenity was shattered when Fields plowed into them seemingly "out of nowhere", saying "there was no indication…we were just marching and there was the car."
By Any Means Necessary host Eugene Puryear pointed out reports of police sitting on their hands while far-right groups beat leftists protesters this weekend.
The guest confirmed that this was the case, noting that Charlottesville police had been given a stand-down order, so as clashes were happening at Emancipation Park where the Robert E. Lee statue is located, police were standing behind barricades watching the melee unfold.
"There were multiple scuffles, there were objects being thrown, teargas was thrown and the police were not doing anything," he explained, "They weren’t intervening at all, it wasn’t until they declared unlawful assembly that they had any sort of influence."
He said that Friday night when University of Virginia students stood at the rotunda of the Thomas Jefferson monument and were being beaten with torches by white nationalists, there were "No police to be found in the area at all."
The activist said he hopes that the incident will serve as a clarion call to people still uncertain about whether to get involved in the anti-racist movement, remarking that "We have seen the destructive potential of these far right groups to the point where somebody lost their lives and many people were injured in this attack."
He asserted that "Neutrality is a position that inherently supports injustice. For people who are unsure, now is the time to get involved in local groups, to talk to your friends and family, and start contributing to anti-racist and anti-fascist movements in whatever capacity you are able, because this does not go away without action."
He acknowledges that these are scary times, but said that it will take courage to stand tall against naked fascism. "It’s going to be terrifying, it’s going to be frightening, but the future of the marginalized of this country and around the world depends on people standing up and fighting back in the face of that fear."
