On the anniversary of last year's violent neo-Nazi rallies in Charlottesville, Virginia,
thousands of people in Washington DC took to the streets
to show their opposition to white supremacy.
They will tell you that you are not good enough,
not strong enough, smart enough, not resilient enough
but you must fight back.
It was a big diverse crowd with lots of local DC residents
We're out here today to bring some light and some levity
to what's going to be a very sombre event
to remind people what they're fighting for.
They're fighting to be able to laugh freely and to love freely.
I have the freedom to stand up and say, you know what?
This is not right and if I can do this while looking ridiculous
to reflect their ridiculousness,
more power to it.
White supremacy is wrong and it's rampant and we have to show out against that.
Everything is three dollars.
This flag right here is made for this country,
people of all colours, white, black, brown, yellow and even rainbow colours ...
You get the impression but now the white nationalists have people afraid,
good people of this country afraid to carry this flag.
A mile away police and journalists crowded around a metro station
waiting for the arrival of a group of white supremacists
who were holding their own anniversary rally in front of the White House.
There were hundreds of protesters and journalists waiting
but the group of white supremacists who finally came up the escalators
was tiny, about two dozen people.
The group was escorted into a giant square of police officers,
police cars in front and behind a row of motorcycle cops
and bicycle cops on each side.
Jason Kessler, the organiser of last year's deadly rallies,
walked in the middle, holding on tight to his American flag.
It was a volatile setup, police officers were constantly putting their hands
on journalists at the front, shoving us forward, telling us to move faster ...
Watching white supremacists get a carefully guarded parade
through the nation's capital, made people watching furious.
Dozens of police surrounding them as well as dozens of ...
The city couldn't tell me how much all the security had cost.
So behind me, you have the anti-fascists ready to protest against Jason Kessler.
Then here coming up Pennsylvania Avenue, you have the queer and trans dance party
against white supremacy.
So what we have right here on this intersection in Washington
with helicopters overhead as an attempt to unite the left
with all of these different advocacy groups, with different tactics and perspectives
but they all have one goal which is to make these white supremacists feel like
they are unwelcome in this town that they can't spread their message.
What are the white supremacists doing right now?
Well, it's only about 20 of them, it's obvious that he doesn't have
the body count that he had shouted.
I have no idea what they're doing ...
He's not in a powerful position any more
he's just a little old guy, he needs some real friends to teach him the truth.
I think there's more press than anything else ...
I don't know, it's just a bunch of guys with cameras getting wet.
How many white supremacists are there?
Like five.
So why did you come out here, today?
Am I allowed to curse?
Yeah.
Because they're fucking Nazis.
Their views are outdated and hateful,
and they don't deserve a platform, that they have
and there's no reason they should be protected, you know?
And there's no ... and you know ...
But they were protected today, literally they were surrounded by a square of cops
and then another square of journalists with cameras in their faces
and a parade through the street ...
It's ridiculous ...
Do you think they're enjoying that?
Like, is this working?
I mean ...
If they feel like they need all of that to be protected from people with signs,
then they're really the weak ones.
The white supremacist protests ended early.
Speakers didn't show.
Just after 5pm, they were escorted out again
delighting the protesters watching from afar.
Try not to come back!
So, it's raining and this protest is ending slowly ...
It's been a weird day in this part ...
People spent a lot of time leaning over barricades shouting
and chanting at someone they couldn't even see far away in the distance
under the trees somewhere behind a cluster of journalists.
Not clear what he said far off under those trees and I don't think a lot of people here
really cared that much.
It's a weird thing to have like a freedom of speech parade
which is mostly cops and in the centre a bunch of white supremacists
but I think a lot of people here in this park today, in the various kinds of protests ...
To feel like they made their voices heard, that they got to shout at the White House
and say 'stupid Nazis go home' but there were also people who said,
You know, they got a lot closer to the White House than we did
and I think a lot of people are worried about that.