White nationalist group marches in Charleston, mayor responds

CHARLESTON, WV (WOWK) — City officials gave their responses after a white nationalist group marched through downtown Charleston Saturday afternoon. The group carried flags associated with Patriot Front, which is classified by the Southern Poverty Law Center as a hate group.

In a post on social media, Charleston Mayor Amy Goodwin spoke out about the incident.

“We cannot let voices that want to spread hate be louder than the voices of those of us who want to celebrate our community,” she said in the post.

Goodwin said in her post that city officials responded “quickly and appropriately” on Saturday to ensure the community’s safety, adding that she will not share the national hate group’s propaganda by reposting photos or videos of their demonstration.

The mayor praised the Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA) in the post, which was hosting a “Race to End Racism” on the same day.

Charleston representative and WV’s Democratic party chair Delegate Mike Pushkin also denounced the group in a social media post of his own.

It has not been said whether or not the group had a permit to demonstrate.

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