Politics & Government

Peaceful Protest Planned In Response To Virginia Violence In Collingswood Sunday

The protest is planned in response to violence related to a white nationalist rally in Virginia.

COLLINGSWOOD, NJ — Collingswood residents are responding to Saturday’s violence in Charlottesville, Virginia, in which three people were killed and dozens more were injured in riots related to a Nazi-flavored white nationalist rally.

A rally to "Stand Against Racism And Facism In Solidarity With Charlottesville" will take place at the corner of Haddon and Cuthbert avenues in Collingswood Sunday night at 6 p.m.

"We are standing in solidarity with Charlottesville," a post on the event's Facebook page states. "Join us for a peaceful vigil. Bring family, friends, neighbors, and signs if you can."

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At least one person was killed and 19 others were injured after a car plowed into a group of people at the rally on Saturday. The driver of the car, 20-year-old James Alex Fields Jr., of Ohio was arrested and charged with second-degree murder, three counts of malicious wounding and hit-and-run attended failure to stop with injury.

A few hours later, a state police helicopter that had been helping to monitor Saturday's events crashed in a wooded area, killing both troopers who were aboard the chopper. They were identified as Lieutenant H. Jay Cullen, 48, of Midlothian, Va., and Trooper-Pilot Berke M.M. Bates of Quinton, Va. Both troopers died at the scene.

Find out what's happening in Collingswoodfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

See related: Police Stood By As Mayhem Mounted In Charlottesville

Photo: Officers clash with counter protestors after the Ku Klux Klan staged a protest on July 8, 2017 in Charlottesville, Virginia, photo by Chet Strange/Getty Images News/Getty Images

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