The Most Powerful Images From the Charlottesville Solidarity Rallies
Over the past week, tens of thousands of people showed up to rallies across the world that, in solidarity with the tragic violence in Charlottesville, Virginia last weekend, protested against racism and bigotry. On Saturday in Boston, for example, police estimate 30,000 to 40,000 counter-protesters drowned out the roughly 50 people who showed up for a “Free Speech” rally.
Free Speech Boston, the group that organized the rally, said their event had been planned before the events of Charlottesville, when Heather Heyer was killed and dozens of others were injured protesting a white supremacist rally near the University of Virginia’s campus. Though organizers of the Boston gathering publicly denounced “the politics of supremacy and violence” that were on display in Charlottesville, two of the 14 scheduled speakers held far-right views, causing many to believe that the “Free Speech” event was serving as another platform for hate speech and prompting a massive turnout from Black Lives Matter and other groups.
But it wasn’t just Boston that people were protesting against white supremacists and bigotry: from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to Portland, Maine—as well as in London, Amsterdam, and beyond—participants carried signs condemning racism and offering messages of love for all races, colors, and creeds. Here are some of the most powerful images that prove love always has and always will trump hate.
Boston, Massachusetts, August 19, 2017
PHOTO: Getty Images
PHOTO: Getty Images
PHOTO: Getty Images
PHOTO: Getty Images
PHOTO: Getty Images
PHOTO: Getty Images
PHOTO: Getty Images
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, August 19, 2017
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PHOTO: Getty Images
PHOTO: Getty Images
New Orleans, Louisiana, August 19, 2017
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PHOTO: Getty Images
Mountain View, California, August 19, 2017
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PHOTO: Getty Images
Amsterdam, August 17, 2017
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PHOTO: Getty Images
Chicago, Illinois, August 15, 2017
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PHOTO: Getty Images
PHOTO: Getty Images
London, August 14, 2017
PHOTO: Getty Images
PHOTO: Getty Images
New York City, August 14, 2017
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PHOTO: Getty Images
PHOTO: Getty Images
Minneapolis, Minnesota, August 14, 2017
PHOTO: Getty Images
PHOTO: Getty Images
Portland, Maine, August 13, 2017
PHOTO: Getty Images
PHOTO: Getty Images
Related Storie:s
—Thousands of Anti-Racism Protesters Drowned Out Boston’s ‘Free Speech’ Rally
—Thousands Are Petitioning for a Statue of Heather Heyer to Replace the Robert E. Lee Monument in Charlottesville
—Two Victims in the Charlottesville Attack Are Suing White Supremacist Leaders for Inciting Violence