Trump Blames ‘Both Sides’ For Charlottesville Violence

US President Donald Trump has once again drawn widespread criticism from all corners after he blamed “both sides” for the violent unrest in Charlottesville, Virginia, which left one protester dead and others injured.

Far-right protesters opposing the removal of a statue of Confederate General Robert E Lee from Emancipation Park rallied in Charlottesville on Saturday. Many waved burning torches and wore Nazi or other white supremacist regalia.

Violence broke out after they were confronted by anti-racism groups. A car ploughed into one group of anti-racism protesters, killing 32-year-old Heather Heyer and injuring several others.

Trump had on Monday condemned the white supremacists, the KKK and neo-nazis for the violence.

However, speaking at Trump Tower in New York on Tuesday, the U.S President accused counter-demonstrators of being as violent as the white supremacists.

“What about the fact they came charging — that they came charging with clubs in their hands, swinging clubs? Do they have any problem? I think they do,” he said.

“I think there is blame on both sides,” Trump said.

The president also condemned efforts to take down statues in southern states dedicated to heroes of the Civil War Confederacy.

“This week it’s Robert E. Lee. I noticed that Stonewall Jackson’s coming down. I wonder, is it George Washington next week? And is it Thomas Jefferson the week after?

“You’re changing history. You’re changing culture. And you had people, and I’m not talking about the neo-Nazis and the white nationalists, because they should be condemned totally. But you had many people in that group other than neo-Nazis and white nationalists.”

Trump’s rhetoric appears to have encouraged white nationalist groups, which may in-turn lead to racial tension and fears both in the U.S and across the globe.