Social media was buzzing with rumors of the Ku Klux Klan holding a rally in uptown Charlotte today. As it turns out, it was a hoax.
Photos of a KKK rally in Charlotte at Old City Hall from 2012, such as the one above, began circulating, with those sharing them claiming they were taken today.
The KKK and neo-Nazis were far outnumbered by counter protesters on that day. There have been reports of planned rallies this weekend in various cities across the country. This past weekend white supremacist groups caused mayhem, violence, and death in Charlottesville when they rallied around a monument to Robert E. Lee, which is set to come down.
One of Charlotte’s Confederate monuments sat at Old City Hall, the site of the 2012 Klan rally, until it was vandalized in 2015 and moved to Elmwood Cemetery. There is another Confederate memorial on the campus of Central Piedmont Community College in Charlotte, near Grady Cole Center. It was also vandalized in 2015, and is now behind a protective case.
You can find more photos from the 2012 Klan rally and counter protest in our photo gallery published at the time.
A vigil for Charlottesville, organized by Charlotte Uprising, will take place tonight at Marshall Park, 800 E. 3rd St., from 7-11 p.m.
UPDATE: CMPD has confirmed that the KKK rally rumors are a hoax.
Rumor of KKK march in uptown is untrue! Vigil for victims of Charlottesville planned for tonight. @CMPD expects it to be peaceful.
— CMPD News (@CMPD) August 19, 2017
