Virginia Atty. General Unveils New Legislative Package To Protect Public From Hate Crimes

Fakhir Rizvi Published November 15, 2018 | 09:27 PM

A set of legislative measures to protect the public from the rise in hate crimes and white supremacist violence in the US state of Virginia have been introduced, Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring said in a news release on Thursday.

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 15th November, 2018) A set of legislative measures to protect the public from the rise in hate crimes and white supremacist violence in the US state of Virginia have been introduced, Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring said in a news release on Thursday.

"In Virginia and across the country we are seeing hate turn deadly with frightening frequency," Herring said in the release. "It is well past time to acknowledge the threat posed by hate and white supremacist violence and take action to stop it."

Herring explained that the measures aim to update Virginia's definition of hate crime and domestic terrorism, prohibit paramilitary activity and make it harder for hate groups and white supremacists to obtain firearms.

Herring's legislative package comes more than a year after a white supremacist rally turned deadly in Charlottesville, Virginia.

On August 11, 2017, torch-wielding white supremacists held a rally near the University of Virginia that resulted in a brawl with a group of counter protesters.

The next day, a major Unite the Right rally gathered thousands of far-right nationalists in downtown Charlottesville, protesting against the authorities' plans to remove a monument to Confederate general Robert E. Lee from a local square. The rally led to violence between the demonstrators and counter protesters, culminating in a car ramming attack, which left one person dead and dozens injured.

According to release, hate crime in Virginia have increased about 65 percent over the past five years, including a nearly 50 percent spike from 2016 to 2017. A recently released report from the Virginia State Police said that a total of 202 hate crimes occurred in the state and 7,175 across the United States in 2017.