Charlottesville: John Oliver accuses Donald Trump of 'feeding' Nazis after violent protests in Virginia
TV host criticises US President over his weak response to violent racist rally which took place over the weekend
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.John Oliver has launched a typically blistering attack on US President Donald Trump over his failure to single out a group of neo-Nazis and white nationalists who staged a violent rally in Charlottesville, Virginia over the weekend.
Violent clashes between white nationalists and anti-fascist protestors broke out, and one woman died after a car drove into a group of counter-demonstrators.
People were seen carrying torches, waving Nazi flags and performing the Nazi salute at the march which took place on Friday 11 August.
Oliver opened his Last Week Tonight programme on Sunday evening by addressing the events, including Trump's poorly-received response and his refusal to denounce the white nationalists.
"It was truly a weekend of horrifying images," Oliver said. "We saw Nazi flags and marchers carrying torches - tiki torches by the way - because nothing says 'white nationalist' like faux Polynesian kitsch."
Responding to Trump's tweet where he condemned the "display of hatred, bigotry and violence - on many sides", he added: "Wait... on many sides?! This was a white nationalist rally - you have to call that out by name.
"There aren't many instances in modern American politics where you can honestly think: 'That guy really should have mentioned the Nazis' but this is emphatically one of them. It's like a reverse Godwin's Law: if you fail to mention Nazism, you lose the argument."
Former KKK leader David Duke was among those present at the Charlottesville rally, where he was recorded saying that protestors were "determined to take [our] country back".
"We're going to fulfil the promises of Donald Trump," he said. "That's what we believe in, that's why we voted for Donald Trump."
Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 days
New subscribers only. £8.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled
Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 days
New subscribers only. £8.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled
"David Duke and the Nazis really seem to like Donald Trump, which is weird because Nazis are a lot like cats: If they like you, it's probably because you're feeding them," Oliver observed.
Of Trump's refusal to condemn the white nationalists who had explicitly said they were participating in the rally because they supported him, Oliver continued: "Here's the problem with that: A non-answer in a moment like this is an answer. And look, don't take that just from me. White nationalists seemed pretty clear about the message Trump had sent to them with his response.
"Look, maybe Trump will eventually take a second swing at personally condemning the white nationalists. Maybe he has since we've taped this show. But even if he does, it'll be too late. Because his first response is who he is. And the truly infuriating thing is how predictable this was.
"It simply doesn't get easier than disavowing Nazis. It's as much of a presidential gimme as pardoning a f***ing turkey. It is almost impossible to screw that up. But that's exactly what happened.
"So there is clearly no point waiting for leadership from our president in moments like this, because it is just not coming, which means we will have to look to one another, because incredibly, in a country where previous presidents have actually had to defeat Nazis, we now have one who cannot even be bothered to f***ing condemn them."
32-year-old Heather Heyer was killed after a car was driven into anti-facism protestors who were attempting to stop the "unite the right" rally, which included members of the Klu Klux Klan. 26 more were injured in the incident.
Eye-witnesses claimed that the car was deliberately driven into the crowd, but there has been no official confirmation of that. Video footage showed screams as people were thrown into the air after being hit at considerable speed by the vehicle.
A suspect named as James Alex Fields Jr, 20, of Ohio, was arrested on charges of inlcuding second-degree murder. His mother has said she did not know he was going to Virginia for a white nationalist rally, and had believed it had something to do with Trump.
His former teacher, Derek Weimer, told CNN that Fields had "outlandish, very radical beliefs".
"It was quite clear that he had some really extreme views and maybe a little bit of anger behind them," he said. "Feeling, what's the word I'm looking for, oppressed or persecuted. He really brought into this white supremacist thing. He was very big into Nazism. He really had a fondness for Adolf Hitler."
Follow Independent Culture for the latest news, features and video from TV, Music, Film and Art
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments