You can't simply absolve them and blame the leftists. It was the RIGHTISTS that deliberately aimed a car into a crowd. Not the leftists.
And the violence clearly came from both sides.
No, it was one kook that ran over people in a car. Nobody on the right excused or supported him.
The leftist groups came there for a confrontation and nothing more. If you go to a large group of adversaries with bats and bottles, you aren't there to look for a political dialog.
Without them, more than likely the crowd would have vented, went home, and left without any violence at all. But leftists can't stand to miss an opportunity to cause problems, just like with the Trump rallies.
These Nazis were marching through the streets terrorizing Jews and others with their Nazi chants and racist rhetoric. Their words actions are an affront to everyone who fought in WWII.
They should be violently opposed.
Assault is never the correct response to any speech. My brother called me horrible names, copycatted every word I said for an hour straight. "Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me." We teach this to our children. We do so for a reason. It is flat out wrong to assault someone because of their words.
So what you're all saying is that if ISIS had a permit to march in Charlottesville, they'd have a right to match through the streets and to use their freedom of speech to say hateful things and if anyone started a fight with them it would be on the protesters.
ISIS isn't eligible for a permit as they are foreigners on foreign soil. Just about the worst we have are skinheads (birthed in our prisons). If skinheads get a permit to protest (bearing ugly tattoos, playing loud deathmetal over bullhorns, carrying signs proclaiming, "We hope you all die for diluting our pure blood!"), then yes, assaulting them for being suck is illegal and WRONG. You don't get to punch people you disagree with in America. There is no right to NOT be offended. There is a right to free speech, so govt cannot shut it down. Legally, the one who throws the first blow has committed a crime against another. Mean words are not a crime.
Many a man has smacked his woman for offending him. Not cool. Illegal. Wrong. Many a man has punched an opposing team's fan for offending him. Not cool. Illegal. Wrong. Assaulting someone for what they say is wrong and illegal. Sometimes it's worth it. If someone calls me a disgusting name, hubby would likely shove or hit him. Not cool. Illegal. Wrong. Worth it. I can certainly understand the "worth it" aspect of punching a skinhead, but one doesn't get to cry victim or don a halo for doing so because it is illegal and WRONG.
Speech we like is easy to protect. If you cherish your freedom, you protect it even when it's hard, even swallowing back bile, because that's the only way to keep that freedom.
It's not that we agree with Nazis and it's not that we support them. We aren't interested in protecting them. It's freedom of speech we are protecting. We just want them to go away. We wonder why y'all don't want your extremists to go away.
"Freedom is speech" is an illusion. Harassment and intimidation is illegal.
You should read the piece written by members of the Charlottesville Jewish Synagogue who were at Shabbat on Friday night during the torch light parade. The marchers passed by the Synagogue shouting nastiness at the worshippers. They didn't feel very free hearing that. They were terrorized.