May and Merkel condemn 'repulsive' far-right protests in Charlottesville
The leaders add to the chorus of condemnation as new details emerge about the man accused of driving his car into a crowd.
Monday 14 August 2017 15:12, UK
Theresa May and Angela Merkel strongly condemn the "repulsive" actions of far-right protesters in Charlottesville, their spokesmen have said.
Heather Heyer, 32, was killed and 19 others injured when a car was allegedly driven into a crowd protesting against the far-right in the Virginia city.
White supremacists engaged in street battles with anti-fascist protesters on Saturday ahead of a rally to oppose the demolition of a Confederate statue.
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President Trump was criticised for refusing to single out the far-right movement, saying he condemned violence on "many sides", and has
Mrs May's spokesman was asked whether the Prime Minister thought Mr Trump was robust enough.
He said: "What the President says is a matter for him. We are very clear. We condemn racism, hatred and violence. We condemn the far right."
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Chancellor Angela Merkel's spokesman went further, saying she was appalled by the "absolutely repulsive scene at this extreme-right march".
"There was outrageous racism, anti-Semitism and hate in its most despicable form to be seen, and whenever it comes to such speech or such images it is repugnant," the spokesman said.
James Alex Fields Jr, 20, was due in court on Monday, two days after he was said to have driven into Ms Heyer and other protesters.
Ms Heyer's boss paid tribute to her humanity and said she was "all about equality".
Fields, charged with second-degree murder and other charges, is said to have harboured Nazi sympathies as a teenager.
A history teacher at his old school, Derek Weimer, told a US TV station he remembered Fields holding "some very radical views on race" and being "very infatuated with the Nazis, with Adolf Hitler".
Fields later joined the Army but was "released from active duty due to a failure to meet training standards", the US military said.
On Sunday, the far-right blogger and organiser of the Charlottesville 'Unite the Right' rally, Jason Kessler, had to be escorted from a news conference by police.
including New York, Philadelphia and Chicago.
US vice president Mike Pence took a tougher stance against the white nationalists than Mr Trump.
Speaking on Sunday, he said: "We have no tolerance for hate and violence from white supremacists, neo-Nazis or the KKK.
"These dangerous fringe groups have no place in American public life and in the American debate, and we condemn them in the strongest possible terms."