As violence spread between white supremacists and counter protesters in Charlottesville—with one woman killed when an alt-right supporter drove a car into a crowd — celebrities are taking a side.
A number of bold-faced names took to social media to condemn the highly visible presence of flags with swastikas on American soil, and to lay much of the blame for the racial divide on display at the feet of President Trump.
Hell of a day for the President to forget how to tweet. pic.twitter.com/ABffmwwH8D
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) August 12, 2017
By the way, fuck these nazi motherfuckers. #Charlottesville
— Seth Rogen (@Sethrogen) August 12, 2017
You cannot end the evil if you do not name the evil.
You are not a Christian.
You are not a patriot.
You are an ally of white supremacists. https://t.co/1Vzq3VHMIN— Beau Willimon (@BeauWillimon) August 13, 2017
Particularly damning for some of those celebrities, was Trump’s lack of specificity in condemning the white supremacist groups for instigating the situation, opting to blame “many sides” for the violence. Some charged that he was afraid to alienate a major base of support.
MANY SIDES?!? Ive typed and deleted at least 8 tweets. Words simply arent strong enough to accurately describe how I feel about Donald Trump
— Chris Evans (@ChrisEvans) August 12, 2017
“On many sides.” My God. Blessings to those who were/are on the wrong side of the whip, rope, gavel, badge, ballot. pic.twitter.com/ykpGrBKelL
— Ava DuVernay (@ava) August 12, 2017
We have nazi sympathizers and white nationalists in the White House. Condemn them too. They should not be receiving taxpayer money.
— John Legend (@johnlegend) August 12, 2017
The rally was organized by famed white nationalist Jason Kessler in protest of the Virginia city’s decision to take down the statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee from the city’s Emancipation Park.
The president’s daughter, who is Jewish herself, did strongly condemn the rally in Charlottesville on Saturday.
1:2 There should be no place in society for racism, white supremacy and neo-nazis.
— Ivanka Trump (@IvankaTrump) August 13, 2017
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