Student government says U.Va. should pay 2017 rally victims $1 million

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Student government says U.Va. should pay 2017 rally victims $1 million

Neal Augenstein | [e-mail]

December 7, 2021, 10:57 AM

The University of Virginia’s Student Council is calling on the school to pay victims of the 2017 Unite the Right Rally $1 million, and apologize for not doing more to head-off violence during the tiki torch march on campus.

The council’s resolution came a week after a federal jury awarded about $26 million to nine plaintiffs, who sued 14 individuals and 10 organizers of the white nationalist and white supremacy rally in Charlottesville.

On Aug. 11, 2017, a group of white supremacists and white nationalists marched through the University of Virginia campus, shouting anti-Semitic and racist chants, ending at the statue of Thomas Jefferson in front of the Rotunda.

”While on university grounds, the white supremacist and neo-Nazis were allowed to verbally and physically assault counter protesters consisting of students, faculty and Charlottesville residents,” according to the student resolution. “These actions included hitting them, pouring lighter fluid on them, and burning them with their lit tiki torches, all in full view of police forces.”

The resolution cites a timeline in which university public safety officials became aware of the planned march but didn’t take action to prevent it.

Citing the City of Charlottesville’s official independent review of events leading to the Aug. 12, 2017, death of counterprotester Heather Heyer, the resolution found it “likely that the insufficient police response on Friday night emboldened people who intended to engage in similar acts of violence on Saturday [Aug. 12]. Anyone who came to Charlottesville to violently confront others was undoubtedly encouraged by what he saw in person or on video at U.Va.”

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1. UVa Student Council says university should give $1 million to help Aug. 12 victims

UVa Student Council says university should give $1 million to help Aug. 12 victims

Bryan McKenzie Dec 6, 2021

The University of Virginia’s Student Council is calling on the university to give $1 million to support victims of violence at the 2017 Unite the Right rally and to apologize for its lack of response during the rally’s torch-light march through Grounds.

The council approved a resolution at a Nov. 30 meeting, just a week after the Sines vs. Kessler lawsuit in which plaintiffs, who were victims of rally violence, sued the organizers for purposefully planning and putting on a violent demonstration.

“The [Student Council] calls on the UVa administration to acknowledge its complacency in the events by drafting a formal letter of apology to those impacted, with specific interest in those students, faculty, staff, and community members who were physically or emotionally harmed,” the resolution states.

“The [Student Council] calls on the University of Virginia to further support the plaintiffs of the civil trial and the survivors of the Aug. 11 and 12 white supremacist attacks by allocating aside $1 million dollars that would go to them directly,” the resolution states.

Council also called on itself to donate $700 to support the plaintiffs of the civil trial and other survivors of the rally and urged students to also support the plaintiffs and survivors through donations being collected by Congregate Charlottesville, a non-profit, religious-based organization working for social justice and helping those in need.

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This story has been edited to add information regarding UVa's participation in post-Aug. 12 projects.