STATEMENT: CAP’s Neera Tanden Condemns Racist and Derogatory Rhetoric and Behavior in Charlottesville, VA

Advancing Racial Equity and Justice, Racial Equity and Justice

Washington, D.C. — Neera Tanden, president and CEO of the Center for American Progress, has issued the following statement regarding the events transpiring in Charlottesville, Virginia, this weekend:

The events in Charlottesville, Virginia, this weekend are another stark and disturbing reminder that violent extremism continues to exist in our neighborhoods and communities. All of us at the Center for American Progress condemn in the strongest possible terms the racist and derogatory rhetoric and behavior on display.

Once again, the president has refused to explicitly disavow the extremism, Nazi imagery, and vehicular attack that occurred in Charlottesville. Throughout the campaign and in his brief presidency, Donald Trump has had many opportunities to not just fully distance his administration from those allied with Nazi sympathizers and the KKK but also to denounce them. However, today, he used his bully pulpit to decry the hate and violence ‘on many sides.’

To be clear, there is only one side that wishes to provoke hate and violence, and there is only one side that committed an apparent act of terrorism today. Nazis and white nationalists showed up to cause harm and unrest in Charlottesville. Their racism, hatred, and bigotry have no place in our society.