A year after a deadly gathering of far-right extremists in Charlottesville, less than two dozen white nationalists marched Sunday across from the White House, their numbers dwarfed by thousands of counter-protesters, while the mother of a woman killed at last summer's protest said the country continues to face unhealed racial wounds.

The events, largely peaceful though tense at times in Charlottesville and Washington, were part of a day of speeches, vigils and marches marking the anniversary of one of the largest gatherings of white nationalists and other far-right extremists in a decade.

In Washington, dozens of police in bright yellow vests formed a tight cordon around the small group of white nationalists, separating them from shouting counter-protesters within view of the White House.

U.S. President Donald Trump wasn't at home — he has been at his golf club in New Jersey for more than a week on a working vacation.

Only around 20 at 'white civil rights' rally

Jason Kessler, the principal organizer of last year's "Unite the Right" event, led the Sunday gathering he called a white civil rights rally in Lafayette Square. Kessler said in a permit application that he expected 100 to 400 people to participate, but the actual number was far lower: only around 20.

Counterprotesters, who assembled before the rally's scheduled start, vastly outnumbered Kessler's crowd. Thousands showed up to jeer and shout insults at the white nationalists.

Two of the white nationalist demonstrators in front of the White House. They won’t show their faces. <a href="https://t.co/5ujmnGeTRo">pic.twitter.com/5ujmnGeTRo</a> —@EMauroCBC

Makia Green, who represents the Washington branch of Black Lives Matter, told Sunday's crowd: "We know from experience that ignoring white nationalism doesn't work."

By about 5 p.m., those in Kessler's group packed into a pair of white vans and left, escorted by police.

Only 1 arrest

Washington police Chief Peter Newsham said only one person was arrested all day despite several tense moments, with police essentially shielding the white nationalist demonstrators from several thousand enraged counter-protesters.

Newsham called it "a well-executed plan to safeguard people and property while allowing citizens to express their First Amendment rights."

Activist and blogger Jason Kessler arrives at Vienna Metro Station in Virginia. He was bound for the white nationalist-led rally near the White House. (Lucas Jackson/Reuters)

Earlier this month, Facebook stunned and angered counter-protest organizers when it disabled their Washington event's page, saying it and others had been created by "bad actors" misusing the social media platform. The company said at the time that the page may be linked to an account created by Russia's Internet Research Agency — a troll farm that has sown discord in the U.S. — but counter-protesters said it was an authentic event they worked hard to organize.

Earlier in the day in Charlottesville, the mother of Heather Heyer, a 32-year-old paralegal who was killed when a car plowed into a crowd of counter-protesters during last year's rally, said there's still much healing to be done.

'There's so much healing to do'

Susan Bro laid flowers at a makeshift memorial at the site of the attack in downtown Charlottesville. With a crowd gathered around her, she thanked them for coming to remember her daughter but also acknowledged the dozens of others injured and the two state troopers killed when a helicopter crashed that day.

"There's so much healing to do," Bro said. "We have a huge racial problem in our city and in our country. We have got to fix this, or we'll be right back here in no time."

Susan Bro is embraced at the site where her daughter Heather Heyer was killed, on the one-year anniversary of 2017 Charlottesville Unite the Right protests in Charlottesville on Sunday. (Brian Snyder/Reuters)

Hundreds of neo-Nazis, skinheads and Ku Klux Klan members and other white nationalists descended on Charlottesville last Aug. 12, in part to protest over the city's decision to remove a monument to Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee from a park.

Violent fighting broke out between attendees and counter-protesters. Authorities eventually forced the crowd to disperse, but chaos erupted again when the car barrelled into the crowd.

'She is with me today, too'

James Fields Jr., 21, of Maumee, Ohio, is charged in state court with murder in Heyer's killing and faces separate hate crime charges in federal court. He pleaded not guilty last month to the federal charges.

The day's death toll rose to three when a state police helicopter crashed, killing Lt. Jay Cullen and Trooper-Pilot Berke Bates.

Local activists and community members gathered Sunday on the one-year anniversary of Heyer's death. The paralegal and activist for civil rights died after being run down by a vehicle that plowed into a crowd of counter-protesters. (Brian Snyder/Reuters)

Among the other anniversary events was a Sunday morning community gathering at a park that drew more than 200 people. The group sang and listened to speakers, among them Courtney Commander, a friend of Heyer's who was with her when she was killed.

"She is with me today, too," Commander said.

Heavier police presence

Law enforcement officials faced blistering criticism after last year's rally for what was perceived as a passive response to the violence that unfolded. A review by a former U.S. attorney found a lack of co-ordination between state and city police and an operational plan that elevated officer safety over public safety.

The anniversary weekend was marked by a much heavier police presence, which also drew criticism from some activists.

Demonstrators on Sunday marched through Charlottesville chanting, "Cops and Klan go hand in hand," and "Will you protect us?"

The city of Charlottesville said four people were arrested in the downtown area. Two arrests stemmed from a confrontation near the Lee statue where a Spotsylvania, Va., man stopped to salute, a Charlottesville woman confronted him and a physical altercation took place, officials said.</s>Thousands of people descended upon Washington, D.C., today for protests on the anniversary of the violent Charlottesville rally, but only a few dozen appeared to be in support of the Unite the Right protest.The build up ahead of the planned protest appears to have led to the counter-protesters far outnumbering those who came to protest in support of white civil rights.The afternoon of protests started around the Foggy Bottom metro station, where many rode in from further afield. From there, large groups of police surrounded the handful of Unite the Right supporters as they headed towards Lafayette Park.Crowds of counter-protesters who had also been permitted to hold a rally in Lafayette Park, directly outside the White House gates, beat the white supremacists to the park.Brendan Timmons was one of the people who showed up to send a message of tolerance amid the tense racial rhetoric."One of the things that I've learned is that these white supremacists, these Nazis, they really believe that not only are they right but that most white people agree with them and so it was really important for me as a white person to show up and say 'No, that's wrong... your views are not acceptable in the mainstream, in mainstream society,'" he told ABC News.Timmons attended the counter protest along with his wife and their young son."It's really important for us that we raise him to be an anti-racist white person and to stand up for oppressed minorities," Timmons said.Kate Robinson was another counter-protester, who came holding a sign that said that her grandfather fought in World War II."It's important that they remember, people remember that this happened, we fought for our freedom against these kinds of ideals before to keep them out of this country before and now that [they're] back, we have to make sure that we don't let this happen," Robinson said.Sunday's protests and counter protests come on the one-year anniversary of a violent rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, where the Unite the Right group gathered to protest the planned removal of the statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee. A number of neo-Nazi and white supremacist groups were present in that August 2017 rally and it led to the death of one counter-protester, Heather Heyer, as well as two state troopers who died in a helicopter crash as they were headed to Charlottesville.Jason Kessler, the organizer of both this and last year's Unite the Right rally, started his remarks in D.C. by saying "I'm not doing this to disrespect the memory of the people who were hurt or died last year."He went on to thank law enforcement for protecting the various protest groups today, and said that he and his group have been targeted in the lead up to today's event."I have people attacking me left, right and center," Kessler said."Some of our speakers had their tires slashed on the way in," he said.Kessler said that he has never viewed himself as a white nationalist but said countries like the United States have been "flooded with too many people to the point where the host populations don't exist anymore.""I'm okay with sharing this country with people from around the world but if you bring in too many people at once it's not the same country anymore and that's what they're doing and that's why a lot of white people feel aggrieved. Because they feel like the country that they're waking up in in 2018 is a very, very different country than they woke up in 1960, 1970, 1980," Kessler said.One person who was not disturbed by the noisy gathering in Lafayette Square was President Donald Trump, who was not in the White House but at his golf course in Bedminister, New Jersey, instead.On Saturday, the day before the protests, Trump took to Twitter to denounce the deadly protests that took place in Charlottesville last year. He tweeted, "The riots in Charlottesville a year ago resulted in senseless death and division. We must come together as a nation. I condemn all types of racism and acts of violence. Peace to ALL Americans!Despite a heavy police presence in D.C., there have yet to be any reported arrests during the protests.There have been four arrests in Charlottesville, however, varying in charges from obstruction of free passage to disorderly conduct and one charge of assault and battery, a police press release stated.There were several memorials planned in Charlottesville and the governor issued a state of emergency declaration earlier in the week in preparation for protests on the anniversary.</s>WASHINGTON (AP) — A group of about 30 white nationalists has marched to a park near the White House for what they call a rally in favor of white civil rights.

Thousands of counterprotesters are in the area, too, and jeered and heckled the white nationalists as they made their way down the street surrounded by police.

Makia Green, who represents the Washington branch of Black Lives Matter, told Sunday’s crowd that: “We know from experience that ignoring white nationalism doesn’t work.”

The counterprotesters planned to march to Lafayette Square in front of the White House, just before the arrival of the white nationalists. Police have erected a maze of barricades to keep the two sides apart.

The counterprotesters are expected to far outnumber the white nationalists.

The demonstration and counterdemonstration come on the anniversary of last year’s deadly gathering of neo-Nazis, skinheads, Ku Klux Klan members, and others in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Sunday’s gathering is being led by the principal organizer of last year’s “Unite the Right” event, Jason Kessler.</s>WASHINGTON -- Unite the Right rally participants said other members were "scared" to attend the rally in D.C., making the group of about 30 vastly outnumbered by the thousands of counter-protesters surrounding the area.

In an approved permit for the rally at Lafayette Square on Sunday, Jason Kessler, the organizer of the rally, estimated that 400 people would be in attendance, including former KKK Grand Dragon David Duke.

RELATED: Why did Metro shut down Vienna station gate for Unite the Right rally?

Duke was among several hundred projected participants who did not show at the controversial DC rally.

It was no more evident how outnumbered they were than when they arrived at the Foggy Bottom station where they were met by a large presence of counter-protesters who held flags, yelled obscenities and made it clear the attendees were not welcome in D.C.

As Unite the Right members marched down Pennsylvania Avenue to Lafayette Square, they were surrounded by hundreds of counter-protesters who lined the streets on each side.

When Unite the Right rally participants arrived in Lafayette Square, counter-protesters and rally attendees stood across from each other, hundreds of counter-protests on one side and a handful of rally participants on the other.

Counter-protesters yelled "go home" and "you're not welcome here." The crowd could also be heard yelling "fight back, fight back! No fascists, no KKK."

RELATED: 'Not in my town': Counter protesters out in force before 'Unite the Right 2' rally

Despite high tensions between the groups, DC police separated the two without incident.

Counter-protesters threw eggs, set off smoke bombs and launched fireworks, but no injuries were reported.

RELATED: LIVE BLOG: Unite the Right rally in DC</s>Police escort far-right demonstrators during a rally at Lafayette Park opposite the White House August 12, 2018 in Washington, DC, one year after the deadly violence at a similar protest in Charlottesville, Virginia. - Last year's protests in Charlottesville, Virginia, that left one person dead and dozens injured, saw hundreds of neo-Nazi sympathizers, accompanied by rifle-carrying men, yelling white nationalist slogans and wielding flaming torches in scenes eerily reminiscent of racist rallies held in America's South before the Civil Rights movement. (Photo by Nicholas Kamm / AFP) (Photo credit should read NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP/Getty Images)

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) — The latest on events marking the anniversary of violent white nationalist rallies in Charlottesville, Virginia (all times local):

A group of about 30 white nationalists has marched to a park near the White House for what they call a rally in favor of white civil rights.

Thousands of counterprotesters are in the area, too, and jeered and heckled the white nationalists as they made their way down the street surrounded by police.

The demonstration and counterdemonstration come on the anniversary of last year’s deadly gathering of neo-Nazis, skinheads, Ku Klux Klan members, and others in Charlottesville, Virginia.

VIEWER DISCRETION ADVISED: The video below contains language that some may fight offensive.

Sunday’s gathering is being led by the principal organizer of last year’s “Unite the Right” event, Jason Kessler.

A contingent of about 30 white nationalists is marching down a Washington street toward the White House surrounded by a protective bubble of police officers and vehicles.

Hundreds of counterprotesters are walking alongside the group but keeping on the sidewalks, many of them shouting and taunting the nationalists as they make their way to a park in front of the White House.

The demonstration and counterdemonstration come on the anniversary of last year’s deadly gathering of neo-Nazis, skinheads, Ku Klux Klan members, and others in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Sunday’s gathering is being led by the principal organizer of last year’s “Unite the Right” event, Jason Kessler, who calls the demonstration a rally for white civil rights.

More than 1,000 protesters are gathered in Freedom Plaza near the White House to rally against a white nationalist demonstration scheduled for later in the day.

The demonstration is being held on the first anniversary of a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, that turned violent and led to the death of a counterprotester.

Makia Green, who represents the Washington branch of Black Lives Matter, told Sunday’s crowd that: “We know from experience that ignoring white nationalism doesn’t work.”

The counterprotesters plan to march to Lafayette Square in front of the White House, just before the arrival of the white nationalists. Police have erected a maze of barricades to keep the two sides apart.

The counterprotesters are expected to far outnumber the white nationalists.

The mother of a woman killed when a car plowed into a crowd of counterprotesters at a white nationalist rally last summer has visited the site of the attack to mark the anniversary of her daughter’s death.

Heather Heyer’s mother, Susan Bro, embraced supporters Sunday in downtown Charlottesville. At one point, she asked the crowd to raise their fists in solidarity, and she laid flowers at a makeshift memorial.

Bro said there’s still “so much healing to do.” She said the city and the country have a “huge racial problem” and that if it’s not fixed, “we’ll be right back here in no time.”

Bro also said the day was about more than just her daughter. She recognized the other victims of the attack, which injured dozens of people, and thanked the two Virginia state troopers killed in a helicopter crash for their sacrifice.

Lt. Jay Cullen and Trooper-Pilot Berke Bates died when their helicopter crashed while deployed as part of the response to last year’s violence.

A park across the street from the White House is already filling up with people who oppose a white nationalist demonstration that is scheduled to take place later Sunday.

The white nationalists are gathering in Washington on the first anniversary of their rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, that turned violent and led to the death of a counterprotester.

A stage has been set up in Lafayette Park and rap music is playing for a crowd of about 300, many of whom are carrying signs saying “Shut down white supremacy.”

Uniformed police officers and a line of police barricades have cut the park in half, restricting the counterprotesters to the northern half, farthest from the White House.

A counterprotest organizer, speaking from the stage, said: “We will be here until these fascist forces are gone, however long that takes.”

The white supremacist rally is scheduled to end at 7:30 p.m.

More than 100 people are demonstrating against racism in downtown Charlottesville, marking the one-year anniversary of a violent white nationalist rally and protesting this year’s ramped-up police presence.

The group began marching Sunday morning after a rally held at a city park and made its way toward downtown. Some marchers linked arms as they walked.

The group directed chants against police officers who were accompanying the march, including “cops and Klan go hand in hand.”

Law enforcement officials faced blistering criticism in the wake of last year’s rally for what was perceived as a passive response to the violence that unfolded.

A review by a former U.S. attorney found a lack of coordination between state and city police and an operational plan that elevated officer safety over public safety.

Dozens of activists and residents have gathered at a Charlottesville city park to protest racism and to observe the one-year anniversary of a rally by white supremacist that turned deadly.

The Rev. Seth Wispelwey is a founder of a group of clergy and lay people called “Congregate C-ville” last year. The group came together in direct response to white nationalists who gathered in Charlottesville for a “Unite the Right” rally on Aug. 12, 2017.

On that day, white supremacists and counterprotesters clashed in the city streets before a car driven into a crowd struck and killed 32-year-old Heather Heyer.

Wispelwey says the city’s residents are still reeling from the violence that day, but he expressed hope that the anniversary can be a turning point.

This item has been updated to correct the spelling of Wispelwey in one instance.

A day after tensions between police and community activists nearly boiled over on the University of Virginia’s campus, the city of Charlottesville plans to mark Sunday’s anniversary of a deadly gathering of white supremacists with a rally against racial hatred. But 115 miles (185 kilometers) away in Washington, the principal organizer of last year’s “Unite the Right” event will hold a “white civil rights rally,” and police are preparing for counterprotesters.

Jason Kessler abandoned plans for a similar anniversary event in Charlottesville. His Washington permit application says he expects 100 to 400 people Sunday afternoon in Lafayette Park, near the White House.

But some leading figures in the white nationalist movement have said they won’t attend or encouraged supporters to stay away. And the events likely will be dwarfed by counterprotests, for which permits also have been issued.</s>Far-left protesters vastly outnumbered white nationalists at opposing rallies in Washington, DC, on Sunday, the anniversary of last year’s Charlottesville rally.

Jason Kessler, who led the white nationalist rally in Virginia last year, and about two dozen other people were escorted by police as they arrived at Lafayette Park for the “Unite the Right 2” rally, where they were met by thousands of counter-protesters.

The counter-protesters, some dressed in black masks, helmets and body armor were separated from rally-goers by fences and about 50 feet of grass as they shouted “Nazis, go home” and “you are not welcome here!” Kessler delivered a speech largely drowned out by the voices of the counter-protesters.

After the brief rally came to an end before 5:30 p.m. EST—two hours before schedule—Kessler and the “Unite the Right 2” demonstrators were transported to the Rosslyn Metro station to board a train to Vienna, where they will be met by county police on hand to escort them to their cars as needed.

Asked for his thoughts on the small turnout, Kessler told the press he was not disappointed by it because of the rally’s peaceful nature. “We upheld free speech,” he declared while mobbed by reporters.

About 400 people were originally expected to attend Kessler’s “Unite the Right 2” rally, which was described as a “white civil rights rally” to protest “civil rights abuse in Charlottesville.” Kessler and members of anti-racist groups were both given permits from the National Park Service to demonstrate at the park on Sunday.

Nearly 1,000 protesters had already arrived at Freedom Plaza near Lafayette Park by 12:30 p.m. for one of several counter protests. “This place, this city, this country is a country of inclusivity and not white supremacy,” Rev. Graylan Hagler told a crowd at one event. “We are people that stand up for racial justice and racial inclusivity. We will not be silenced.”

Black Lives Matter D.C. was also scheduled to host the “Rise Up Fight Back Counter-Protest” between 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. near the site of “Unite the Right 2.” Metropolitan Police Chief Peter Newsham said officers would work to keep the opposing protesters separate from each other and added guns and other weapons are prohibited near the cite of the rally, regardless of individual permits.

“Our role is to make sure we have a First Amendment event that goes on without any types of violence or destruction of property,” he said. “We intend to have the entire police department engaged to make sure that we handle this type of thing.”

Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam and the city of Charlottesville declared states of emergency for Friday through Sunday to give state agencies the necessary tools to “perform actions outside the scope of normal operations.”

The declarations came after violence surrounding the 2017 Charlottesville demonstrations in which at least 30 people were injured and James Alex Fields Jr., was accused of driving his vehicle into a group of counter-protesters, killing Heather Heyer. Two Virginia State Police troopers also died that weekend when their helicopter, assisting with public safety during the rally, crashed August 12.

A makeshift memorial to Heyer was heavily barricaded. On Sunday morning, more than 100 anti-racism protesters congregated near police, wearing helmets and other protective gear, as helicopters and drones circled above, the Washington Post reported. Four people were arrested in connection to demonstrations in downtown Charlottesville.

President Donald Trump condemned all forms of racism in a tweet Saturday, ahead of the planned demonstrations. “The riots in Charlottesville a year ago resulted in senseless death and division. We must come together as a nation. I condemn all types of racism and acts of violence. Peace to Americans!” the president wrote.

The message was met with similar criticism to Trump’s claim after last year’s demonstration that both groups were responsible for the violence in Charlottesville. “You had some very bad people in that group, but you also had people that were very fine people, on both sides,” President Trump said at the time.

The United Press International contributed to this report.</s>The planned "Unite the Right 2" rally in Washington, DC turned out to involve fewer than 30 white nationalists and hundreds of counter-protesters. Justin Mitchell reports.

THE “Unite the Right 2” rally in Washington DC was a complete washout — and the non-stop rain had nothing to do with it.

The planned white nationalist gathering across from the White House was cut short when only about 20 supporters showed up to hear speeches that were overpowered by the chants of thousands of counter-protesters.

The small band of white nationalists huddled together for what they billed as “Unite the Right 2,” separated by metal barricades and scores of police from more than a thousand counter-protesters who filled the majority of the park.

The counter-protesters, packed in so tight they stood shoulder to shoulder, shouted slogans including “Nazis aren’t welcome!” and “No hate! No KKK! No fascist USA!”

When it began to rain, the crowd chanted, “It’s hot, it’s wet, but we aren’t done with the Nazis yet!”

Several speakers addressed the white nationalists and reporters, with organiser Jason Kessler — who had predicted a crowd of up to 400 — saying, “I condemn neo-Nazis.”

“This isn’t about racism. This is about free speech,” Kessler said.

The dud of a rally — held on the one-year anniversary of last year’s deadly gathering of neo-Nazis, Ku Klux Klan members and others in Charlottesville, Virginia. — had been called for 5:30pm, but ended a good half-hour before that.

The white nationalists were driven off in white vans, accompanied by a police escort.

Earlier, cops in yellow vests escorted the white nationalists past jeering counter-protesters as they marched to the park.

Following the rally, a group of about 200 anti-fascist activists, many wearing black masks, marched around the nation’s capital in the rain and confronted police officers who pushed them back.

President Trump — who came under fire last year for saying there was “blame on both sides” for the Charlottesville violence — tweeted a message ahead of the rally.

Democrats attacked Mr Trump the following day, with Democratic Senator Tim Kaine telling CBS’ Face the Nation, “There is a concerted effort that he has been engaged in to divide people, including dividing them based on race.”

Meanwhile, the mother of Heather Heyer, who was killed when a Nazi sympathiser allegedly rammed his car into a group of counter-protesters in Charlottesville last year, laid flowers at a makeshift memorial near the scene on Sunday.

This article was originally published in the New York Post and has been reproduced here with permission.</s>When Jason Kessler applied for a permit to host the second white supremacist Unite The Right Rally at Lafayette Square in Washington, D.C., he estimated attendance would be between 100 and 400 people, according to The Associated Press. But when counting how many people attended the Unite The Right Rally on Sunday, the numbers didn't meet expectations. Not even close.

According to an estimate by NBC News, "fewer than 20 people" attended the rally that claimed to draw attention to "white civil rights." By comparison, NBC News said the counter-protesters anchored in Freedom Plaza numbered in the hundreds, with CBS News estimating that the counter-protesters' numbers reached "nearly 1,000."

The rally was scheduled to begin at 5:30 p.m. EST, but the Unite The Right participants arrived and finished before their official start time, The New York Times reported. Rain might have been a factor in the short rally time, the newspaper added. (The rally only lasted about an hour, according to CBS News.)

Kessler told The Times that participation was low because they felt "attacked" by counter-protesters. "There were a lot of people who were at last year’s rally who are very scared this year," Kessler told the newspaper. "They felt like last year they came to express their point of view. They were attacked. And when they fought back, they were overly prosecuted."

The Unite The Right 2 rally came on the anniversary of last year’s rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, that ended in the death of anti-racist protester Heather Heyer. Nineteen others were injured.

This year's rally was much more subdued in comparison. Counter-protesters and Unite The Right 2 attendees were separated via barricades by police, but the counter-protesters' noise still overwhelmed the few Unite The Right 2 participants. They chanted things like "No hate, no fear, KKK is not welcome here," according to CBS News.

Kessler called himself "a civil rights advocate" when interviewed by WUSA, a CBS affiliate on Sunday. "I'm not a white nationalist. I'm a civil rights advocate. I'm focusing on white people because we don't have civil rights advocates," Kessler told the news station. "A lot of people are not going to understand why white people need civil rights advocates but that's going to be what my speech is about."

Kessler told ABC News that his supporters' tires were "slashed" on the way to Washington, D.C. "I have people attacking me left, right and center," Kessler told the news network.

Kessler said he wanted this rally to be in Washington, D.C., so he could talk to President Donald Trump. "That's why I wanted to speak to President Trump at the White House. It was criminal conduct by the Charlottesville government," Kessler said of the outcomes of last year's Unite The Right rally, according to USA Today.

However, Trump was in New Jersey, not the White House. On Saturday, Trump hosted a group of bikers at his country club at Bedminster.

Thus far, there haven't been any reports of arrests at the Washington, D.C. rallies, according to ABC News.</s>When the tiny crew of rally-goers reached the top of the escalator, the hot bubble of suspense encompassing the nation’s capital finally popped. Everyone assumed their roles: The white supremacists held up their flags and walked, surrounded by police, down 23rd Street. Counter protesters, fazed only slightly by the small numbers of their opposition, chased after them, chanting and screaming, all the way to Lafayette Square across from the White House. “Fuck you, Nazis!” they shouted. “Justice for Heather!”

“This is my community, and I think it’s important, when Nazis come to town, you have to show them they’re not welcome,” said Bridget Todd, a 33-year-old African American woman from D.C., and one of the hosts of the “Stuff Mom Never Told You” podcast. She was walking quickly down 23rd Street, shouting at the small group of white supremacists. “They’re terrible at organizing,” Todd told me, laughing. “I had more people at my niece’s baby shower than this.”

Christine Roberts, a 55-year-old white woman who came three and a half hours from New Jersey to protest the rally, was surprised by the turnout. “I thought there would be more of the protesters,” Roberts said. “I didn’t realize there would be so many counter-protesters, so I’m really kind of thrilled.”

At Lafayette Square, the Unite the Right rally was separated from the counter-protesters by a large expanse of grass, dozens of police officers, and a fence. Al Stankard, a dark-haired man in khaki pants and a grey fedora, was standing on a raised platform and speaking about “anti-white scapegoating,” but hardly anyone was listening. The press outnumbered white nationalists three to one, and the rally-goers were dispersed across the lawn, talking to reporters and posing for pictures with their MAGA hats, flags, and bandanas. Across the grass, the hordes of counter protesters pushed against the fence holding them back, screaming, “Shame! Shame! Shame!” Thunder boomed, and rain started to fall.

“I’ve been gettin’ this my whole life,” said David, a 66-year-old who describes himself as a “pro-white” activist and drove from Texas to attend the rally. David, who declined to give his last name, said he believes there are too many non-white people living in the United States. What does he want to do about it? “The way you do it is like Trump’s doin’ it,” he explained, matter-of-factly. “You don’t actually kick people out...you steer the policy in a way that people think, ‘Maybe it’s time for me to go on back.’”

It was on this idea that many on Lafayette Square were able to agree: President Trump is helping further the cause of white supremacists. As examples, counter-protesters pointed to the administration’s implementation of a ban on visitors from several Muslim countries, its “zero-tolerance” immigration policy that resulted in family separations, and its push to limit citizenship for legal immigrants. Both groups say they were proven right last year, when Trump told a group of reporters that there were “some very fine people on both sides” of the violence in Charlottesville.</s>WASHINGTON -- Two people were arrested during the events of the Unite the Right rally Sunday in what was a mostly peaceful event despite high tensions and strong rhetoric.

One person was arrested in Virginia, and one in D.C.

The person arrested in D.C. assaulted another man with pepper spray. He was taken into custody immediately after the use of the pepper spray around 5:40 p.m., according to D.C. Police Chief Peter Newsham. He is identified as 44-year-old John Mulligan, of Pennsylvania. Mulligan was also found to be in possession of a slingshot with large shards of glass, metal bolts and stones.

Chief Newsham did not know whether Mulligan was there supporting Unite the Right or the counter-protesters.

The other arrest was made outside of Vienna Metro station in Fairfax for spitting on a Virginia State Police officer. Their identity was not available as of Sunday night.

Fairfax County Police arrest one demonstrator outside the Vienna/Fairfax GMU Metro Station after the white supremacist Unite the Right participants entered the station before traveling to the White House (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Chief Newsham credited a "well-executed plan" of keeping the two groups separate, which led to a mostly peaceful event with no major injuries.

The only notable police confrontation with protesters was when counter-protesters built a makeshift barricade, attempting to keep the Unite the Right rally participants pinned into Lafayette Square. Police had to forcefully remove the barricade with counter-protesters standing by it.

Mayor Muriel Bowser, who returned abruptly from a trip to El Salvador to monitor the rally, thanked the DC Metro Police Department for their work.

"We think we were largely successful in making sure those First Amendment activities were able to happen and we maintained peace and order in our city," Mayor Bowser said.

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READ MORE | "People were scared" - Counter-protesters vastly outnumber Unite the Right rally participants.
Around twenty white nationalists hold a protest march in Washington, D.C. on the first anniversary of the Unite the Right rally, with thousands of counter-protesters.