Charlottesville "Unite the Right" civil trial begins, four years after the rally

More than four years after white supremacists wreaked havoc in Charlottesville, Virginia, victims of the violence are suing the neo-Nazis and white nationalists who organized the protests, claiming in civil court that the organizers of the "Unite the Right" rally planned the violent attacks against counter-protesters, resulting in the death of one protester and the injury of more than a dozen others. The trial kicked off Monday in federal court with jury selection.

Ten members of the Charlottesville community, some of whom were injured as a result of the violence, brought the lawsuit against a group of neo-Nazis, white supremacists and hate groups. The 24 defendants — members of 10 organizations — who orchestrated the weekend events that culminated in violence in August 2017 claim their actions are covered by freedom of speech and that the violence was unplanned and took place when rally goers acted in self-defense, while plaintiffs claim that it was carefully coordinated.

"There is one thing about this case that should be made crystal-clear at the outset — the violence at Charlottesville was no accident," the complaint says. "The violence, suffering, and emotional distress that occurred in Charlottesville was a direct, intended, and foreseeable result of Defendants' unlawful conspiracy."