'Unite The Right' Rally, Counter Protests Sunday: What To Know

WASHINGTON, DC — A multitude of local and federal law enforcement will be on the ground at venues and Metro stations as participants in a controversial rally, Mayor Muriel Bowser said a press conference to discuss safety plans regarding the white-nationalist rally and counter protests scheduled for Sunday in Washington, D.C.

The "Unite the Right" rally will take place at Lafayette Park from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Sunday, the one-year anniversary of the deadly protests in Charlottesville during which one white supremacist drove a car into a crowd of protesters.

A counter protest will be held at Freedom Plaza between 9 a.m. and 8 p.m., a permit issued by the National Park Service says. The group plans to march to Lafayette Square, where the white supremacists will gather across from the White House.

"On Sunday, we know that we have people coming to our city for the sole purpose of spewing hate," Bowser said Thursday. "We denounce hate, we denounce anti-Semitism, and we denounce the rhetoric we expect to hear this Sunday."

Bowser spoke about the safety plan organized by DC police, U.S. Park Police and the Secret Service at the press conference. The District's safety plan includes the signing of a mayor's order that allows the Bowser Administration to activate the District’s Emergency Operations Center. The move lets local, state, and federal agencies to work together to coordinate the necessary supports for all critical incident responses, according to DC Police.

"The rules are pretty simple," Chief Peter Newsham said. "Don't hurt anyone and don't break anything.

Residents and visitors are being encouraged to sign up for AlertDC here to receive important and emergency updates from DC Government.

“Several District agencies, regional partners, and federal agencies are staffing the District’s EOC to support the law enforcement response,” DC Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency Director Dr. Christopher Rodriguez said. “Residents and visitors should sign up for AlertDC and be prepared if they see something, to say something to law enforcement.”

Jason Kessler, who organized the Charlottesville rally and was later indicted on a charge of perjury, is behind this white supremacist rally as well. An estimated 400 people will participate in the rally.

WTOP reports two counterprotests received permits from The National Park Service. The Democratic Socialists of Metro DC has an estimated 1,000 participants and will meet in Freedom Plaza before marching to Lafayette Square.

The ANSWER Coalition will include about 400 counterprotesters at Lafayette Square, 100 on the White House sidewalk, 500 at Farragut Square and 500 at McPherson Square, WTOP says.

“This weekend, and every day going forward, we will ensure that the world knows that no matter how much attention these people demand, that they will never represent the values of our city or our nation," Bowser said.

SEE ALSO:

• Unite The Right Rally Prompts States Of Emergency In Virginia
• White Supremacists To March Near White House

The Unite the Right website states participants will meet up at the Vienna Metro Station and travel by train or bus with a "police protected transport" to DC. Officials reportedly had considered running a separate train to escort white supremacists to their rally, but that proposal has since been abandoned.

WMATA officials said they will not prepare a "special train" for the private use of any groups.

"The transit agency is working closely with law enforcement to prepare security options that place the highest priority on protecting Metro passengers, employees, and public safety," WMATA said in a statement.

The original Unite the Rally in Charlottesville on Aug. 12, 2017, erupted into violence between white nationalists and counter-demonstrators. Heather Heyer, 32, died when a white supremacist allegedly plowed his car into a crowd of counter-demonstrators. Two Virginia state troopers, Lt. H. Jay Cullen III and Trooper-Pilot Berke M.M. Bates died the same day after their helicopter crashed while monitoring the event.

Kessler, organizer of the white nationalist rally, originally planned to have "Unite the Right 2" in Charlottesville, but was denied a permit from the city.

“The Metropolitan Police Department facilitates safe demonstrations on a daily basis,” Chief of Police Peter Newsham said. “Our intentions are to continue to value the first amendment rights of everyone in the District of Columbia without compromising the safety of participants or bystanders.”

Police will enforce the following road closures between 9 a.m. and 8 p.m. Sunday:

• 15th Street, NW, from Constitution Avenue to K Street, NW
• 17th Street, NW, from Constitution Avenue to K Street, NW
• 18th Street, NW, from E Street to Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
• 19th Street, NW, from E Street to Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
• 20th Street, NW, from E Street to Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
• 21st Street, NW, from E Street to Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
• 22nd Street, NW, from E Street to Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
• 23rd Street, NW, from Virginia Avenue to Washington Circle, NW
• H Street, NW from 17th Street to 15th Street, NW
• I Street, NW from 17th Street to 15th Street, NW
• K Street, NW from 17th Street to 15th Street, NW
• Connecticut Avenue, NW, from H Street to I Street, NW
• Vermont Avenue, NW, from H Street to I Street, NW
• G Street, NW, from 17th Street to 23rd Street, NW
• F Street, NW, from 17th Street to 23rd Street, NW
• E Street, NW from 17th Street to 23rd Street, NW

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(Photo of Lafayette Square by Robert Alexander/Getty Images)