In the wake of the Charleston church shooting in 2015 , efforts were made across the country to remove Confederate monuments from public spaces and rename streets honoring notable figures from the Confederacy . While often successful , these efforts faced a backlash from people concerned about protecting their Confederate heritage . The August 11 – 12 rally was organized to protest the removal of the Robert E. Lee statue honoring the Confederate general in what was then known as Lee Park ( renamed to Emancipation Park in June 2017 , and again to Market Street Park in 2018 ) . The event was organized by Jason Kessler who had taken up the cause in March 2016 when Charlottesville Vice Mayor Wes Bellamy held a press conference to call for removal of the statue . Kessler , who refers to Bellamy as " anti-white " , exposed a series of offensive tweets made by Bellamy several years earlier and unsuccessfully tried to remove him from office . Bellamy did however step down from his post on the Virginia Board of Education , and apologized for the offensive tweets
Charleston church shooting
Charleston church shooting
Unite the Right rally