Updated: Virginia Governor Declares State of Emergency as White Nationalists Clash with Counter-Protesters

Updated, 8/12/17, 4:24pm:

At least seven people were hurt when a speeding car slammed into crowds gathered near the site of the dispersing rally and continuing chaos. It's been reported that one person has died as a result of the violence in Charlottesville, though it has not yet been confirmed what caused the death.

President Trump did speak on the situation, writing on Twitter:

In a press conference from New Jersey (where Trump is currently on a 17-day golf vacation), Trump condemned violence and hate without specifically mentioned white nationalists or the alt right.

"We condemn in the strongest possible terms this egregious display of hatred, bigotry and violence on many sides, on many sides," Trump said. "It has been going on for a long time in our country -- not Donald Trump, not Barack Obama. It has been going on for a long, long time. It has no place in America."

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Last night, hundreds of (tiki) torch bearing white nationalists, led by Richard Spencer, descended upon the University of Virginia campus, shouting racist slogans like "Jew will not replace us" and assembling at a statue of Thomas Jefferson. Campus police eventually broke up the rally, arresting at least one person and scuffling with some of the nationalists. This was in advance of a planned "Unite the Right" rally today in Charlottesville that quickly descended into chaos as white nationalists, self-described white supremacists and other alt-right groups clashed with counter-protestors.

Governor Terry McAuliffe declared a state of emergency, and according to reporters on the scene, things appear to have mellowed a bit - for now. The rally itself, which was originally a response to the city voting to sell a statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee, has been cancelled due to the violence.

Some Republican leaders have spoken out against the violence but not the nationalists themselves, many of whom were openly praising Hitler and the KKK. Paul Ryan, for instance, walked a fine line of decrying the situation without actually specifying which views he disagrees with:

The First Lady took a similarly vague approach:

Professional tweeter President Donald Trump has so far remained silent on the matter. Maybe he got locked out of his account because he forget his password and never set up two factor authentication. Maybe he's soaking up one of the many days of his golf vacation. Maybe he's busy googling "who won the Civil War?" or "where is Venezuela?" It's hard to say at this point.

Image via Twitter