Donald Trump

Hundreds March Downtown, Rally at Trump Tower After President's Charlottesville Comments

Hundreds of protesters marched Tuesday from Federal Plaza to Trump Tower in downtown Chicago.

The demonstration comes shortly after President Donald Trump blamed “both sides,” again, for the violent protests in Charlottesville, Virginia over the weekend. The politically-fueled clash, including armed militiamen, Nazi-flag toting racists, white nationalists and counter protesters. A 32-year-old woman dead was killed when an Ohio man allegedly drove his car into a crowd of protesters.

"The murder and attempted murder of anti-racist demonstrators Saturday in Charlottesville, VA, by armed thugs marching under the banners of openly white supremacist anti-Semitic and homophobic organizations is not an isolated incident," the organizers of the demonstration said in a statement. "This assault was organized by the neo-fascist forces of the United States who are seeking to become the Storm Troopers of the Alt Right and Donald Trump."

Mayor Rahm Emanuel released a statement Tuesday evening denouncing Trump's stance on the weekend's violence.

“For the second time in three days, this president equated neo-Nazis, white supremacists and bigots with those who courageously stood up to confront their hate and give voice to our shared values," Emanuel said.

Emanuel said he protested against a Nazi march in Marquette Park in 1978 and called it his "political awakening."

The Chicago mayor called Trump's comments "unworthy of the office and its moral authority" and invoked the works of poet and civil rights activist Maya Angelou. "When someone shows you who they are, believe them," the quote reads.

Hundreds of demonstrators marched down Dearborn Street Tuesday evening carrying signs and chanting. At one point, traffic was stopped at Wacker Drive and State Street.

Black Lives Matter, Arab American Action Network, Jewish Voices for Peace and dozens of other organizations were present.

Chicago police and the Office of Emergency Management Communications did not immediately respond to request for comment on the demonstration.

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