"Hate and bigotry must never be met with silence or half-hearted rebukes,” said HRC President Chad Griffin. “The horrific events unfolding in Charlottesville today are a stark reminder that the racism and white supremacy that has been allowed to fester for generations has recently been emboldened by the policies and rhetoric of politicians like Donald Trump. There are no two sides. Donald Trump’s refusal to clearly condemn white supremacists, white nationalists, neo-Nazis, and the ‘alt-right’ is a failure of leadership and once again proves he is unfit to serve. All national leaders, from the President and Vice President on down, must explicitly and unequivocally condemn this violent extremism.”

Griffin continued, “The Human Rights Campaign offers our condolences to the family of the counter protester who lost their life and all those injured. Today and everyday, we must be outraged by this kind of prejudice and we will continue to confront this violent hatred wherever it rears its ugly head."

The Human Rights Campaign is America’s largest civil rights organization working to achieve lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer equality. HRC envisions a world where LGBTQ people are embraced as full members of society at home, at work and in every community.