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Josh Withey
Aug 12, 2017
White supremacist protesters clutching Nazi flags and screaming the Nazi-linked chant 'blood and soil' have stormed the city of Charlottesville, Virginia today.
Violence broke out at the 'Unite the Right' rally, with officials having now declared a state of emergency.
Attempts to disperse the white supremacists and anti-fascist protestors continues to prove difficult, with fights breaking out between the two groups and against riot police.
Pepper spray has been used by police and the groups on the ground, and clashes continue to be witnessed and documented by journalists and activists on the scene.
Despite a clash between neo-Nazi protestors carrying torches and counter-protesters on the grounds of the University of Virginia on Friday evening, Donald Trump, has remained oddly silent on his Twitter account for the past 15 hours.
The President, who is currently on a golfing vacation, has in the days leading up to the violent protests been very vocal on the social network, criticising North Korea and Venezuela in recent days.
At time of writing, he is yet to tweet about either the Friday night march or the state of emergency in Charlottesville.
This has not gone unnoticed, with many asking when on earth he is going to condemn the violence.
Perhaps one of the most pertinent tweets came from the author JK Rowling, who shared a photo of a young man marching carrying a Nazi swastika flag alongside a Confederate flag.
She tweeted: "Hell of a day for the President to forget how to tweet"
Update: Since publication of this article Donald Trump has now tweeted his response to the violence.
The President said via Twitter that "we all must be united and condemn all that hate stands for".
His tweet comes hours after the initial clashes at the University of Virginia late on Friday, and hours after the day of violent protests in the city.
More: Anti-racism protesters sing 'This Little Light of Mine' in front of armed white supremacists