British MPs have joined the condemnation of neo-Nazi clashes in Charlottesville, Virginia and US President Donald Trump’s failure to specifically denounce far-right groups.
Chaos rocked the streets of Charlottesville after neo-Nazis, skinheads, and members of the Ku Klux Klan assembled for a white nationalist rally carrying flaming torches and clutching assault rifles to protest the removal of a Confederate statue.
Tensions with hundreds of counter-protesters quickly descended into street clashes that turned deadly. More than 30 people have been injured and a 32-year-old woman was killed when a car was driven at speed into a group of anti-fascist protesters. Two policemen died in a helicopter crash while trying to restore peace.
Trump has faced criticism after failing to explicitly condemn the role of white supremacists in the clashes. On Saturday, he said he condemned “hatred, bigotry and violence on many sides,” repeating the phrase “on many sides” for emphasis.
Jess Phillips, the Labour MP for Birmingham Yardley, tweeted: “As someone from the political world, I don’t dislike Trump because he’s an outsider (he’s not.) I don’t like him because he’s a stupid bigot.”