Last August, an alt-right rally called “Unite the Right” took place in Charlottesville, Virginia that resulted in the death of a woman after a man drove his car into a crowd of counterprotestors. In Sines v. Kessler, Charlottesville residents filed a lawsuit against the co-planners of the rally claiming they conspired to deprive the plaintiffs of their civil rights by encouraging such violence.
Lead attorney Roberta Kaplan and her team collected online evidence such as chat transcripts and videos that show that the leaders of the rally urged attendees to prepare for, and commit, acts of violent behavior during the rally. According to the plaintiffs, the rally was a “direct conspiracy to commit violence” — not a mere expression of free speech protected by the First Amendment.
The case was filed in October 2017, and the upcoming scheduling hearing is set for March 16.
See Sines v. Kessler on Justia Dockets.
Additional Reading
The alt-right is going on trial in Charlottesville Vox March 8, 2018
Photo credit: zimmytws / Shutterstock.com
