Man accused of driving into Charlottesville crowd faces hate-crime counts

In this August 2017 photo, people fly into the air as a vehicle is driven into a group of protesters demonstrating against a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. Photo / AP file

The Justice Department charged James Alex Fields, the driver accused of murdering a counterprotester at last year's white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, with multiple hate crime counts today.

The charges include one hate crime act that led to the death of Heather Heyer, a counterprotester who was run over when Fields allegedly drove his car into a throng of anti-racist marchers.

The Justice Department also charged Fields with 28 counts of hate crimes "causing bodily injury and involving an attempt to kill." Those charges are related to the dozens of people injured in the same event.

"At the Department of Justice, we remain resolute that hateful ideologies will not have the last word and that their adherents will not get away with violent crimes against those they target," Attorney-General Jeff Sessions said in a statement.

"Last summer's violence in Charlottesville cut short a promising young life and shocked the nation. Today's indictment should send a clear message to every would-be criminal in America that we aggressively prosecute violent crimes of hate that threaten the core principles of our nation."

Members of the Ku Klux Klan, neo-Nazi organisations and far-right white nationalists groups converged on Charlottesville last year take part in a torchlight march through the University of Virginia campus on August 11 and the Unite the Right rally the following day.

Both events were marked by racist and homophobic slurs and chants including "Jews will not replace us" and 'Our blood, our soil!" And both events rapidly descended into violence as marchers and counterprotesers clashed on the streets of the typically placid college town.

White supremacist leaders Richard Spencer and Jason Kessler, both University of Virginia graduates, organised the weekend events to protest against the decision by the City of Charlottesville to remove a statue of Robert E. Lee from a downtown park and rename the park Emancipation Park and, they said, to protect white heritage and white civil rights.

James Alex Fields. Photo / AP file

But the marchers at the Saturday rally, many armed with guns, clubs and bats, met fierce opposition from community members and anti-fascist protesters. Clashes erupted at the park and across the city.

Law enforcement did not act immediately to break up altercations and stood by while armed groups battled in front of them. Eventually the police declared the rally an unlawful assembly and it was not allowed to go on.

"Hatred and violence have no place in our communities," FBI Director Christopher Wray said in the statement. "The investigation of hate crimes is a top priority of the FBI, and we will continue to work with our partners to ensure those who perpetrate such despicable acts are held accountable."