Police stand guard near the rally site in Charlottesville, Virginia, the United States, Aug. 12, 2017. At least one person was killed in a multiple car crash following a violent white nationalist rally on Saturday in Charlottesville in Virginia, Charlottesville Mayor Michael Signer said. (Xinhua/Yin Bogu)
BERLIN, Aug. 14 (Xinhua) -- German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Monday reacted with dismay to weekend far-right violence and racism in the U.S.
The event stood "in complete contrast to everything which the chancellor and the entire (German) Federal government are working towards", Merkel's spokesman Steffen Seibert told reporters in Berlin.
"Those were absolutely repulsive scenes which were witnessed during this far-right march," he added.
By voicing such outspoken concern through her speaker, the German chancellor has gone far beyond U.S. President Donald Trump, who has so far failed to directly criticize far-right violence.
Trump came under attack, including within his own Republican party, for only making a curt statement against hatred and fanaticism "from many sides" in response to the Charlottesville incident.
A rally staged by white nationalists in Charlottesville turned violent Saturday. After hours brawls between the pro-rally far-right figures and anti-racism protesters, a sport car ploughed into crowd against the rally, killing a 32-year-old local woman and injuring 19 others.
As pressure grew from senior Republican politicians including Hispanic Senator Marco Rubio to describe the murder as an act of terrorism, the White House later added that Trump's original comments were meant to include the White Supremacist Movement, The Ku-Klux-Klan and Neonazi groups.
Merkel's dismay with the status of U.S. race relations was shared by her ruling party colleague and vice deputy leader Armin Laschet, who described the alleged murder as far-right terrorism.
Laschet said that former Republican presidents such as Ronald Reagan had taken a clear stance against racism and that he hoped that the current office holder would do the same.
The far-right rally was organized to oppose the removal of statues of Confederate leaders who fought in the U.S. civil war, amongst others to defend the widespread practice of black slavery in Southern states.
According to Seibert, Merkel felt deep regret for the death of a young woman who had joined in demonstrations against the controversial march.
"We stand in solidarity with those who peacefully oppose such aggressive, extreme right-wing opinions," Seibert described Merkel's sentiments.
