MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The racial violence that erupted over the weekend in Virginia is deplorable and heartbreaking, and elected officials, both Democrats and Republicans, were right to quickly condemn it.
Some even went the extra mile to specifically criticize the racial hate groups that sparked the violence, because, let`s be honest, the blame should not be equally shared by many sides. None of this would have happened except for the racist taunts and intimidation from neo-Nazis and the Ku Klux Klan, who were rallying to ‘unite the right.’
Vice President Mike Pence properly called out the white supremacists for their role in the violence calling them dangerous fringe groups.
Tennessee`s Republican leaders also decried the violence which included the death of one person who was demonstrating against the hate groups. However, Governor Bill Haslam and members of Congress could not bring themselves to directly criticize the KKK and neo-Nazis.
Beyond that, let`s remember how this all started — with the plan by officials in Charlottesville to remove a giant statue of confederate General Robert E. Lee.
This confirms more than ever that these confederate monuments are symbols of intimidation and hate not heritage.
Perhaps someday, all of these divisive emblems will be removed from public spaces funded by all taxpayers. Vice President Pence is correct —we should have no tolerance for hate and violence.