On Sunday, a black man made headlines as he marched alongside White Supremacists and Neo-Nazis at a Unite the Right Rally in Lafayette Park in Washington D.C.
While most people stood on the opposite side of history – opposed to the violence and hate speech associated with the group – 28-year-old Brandon Watson of Bristow, Virginia, chose to stand with the alt-right leaders in support of freedom of speech.
“Everybody has a right to speech. I wouldn’t be here if my man was a white supremacist,” Watson said of rally organizer Jason Kessler, who organized last year’s Charlottesville protest which resulted in the death of Heather Heyer.
a black man, who says his name is Brandon Watson, is now speaking with Jason Kessler and claiming he’s not a white supremacist (he is). Watson says he’s here to support free speech pic.twitter.com/6fPXByeiSY
— Caleb Ecarma (@calebecarma) August 12, 2018
In turn, according to ABC News, Kessler, who denied being a white supremacist, said he agreed with Watson’s statement, adding that “White people deserve to stand up for their rights like other people are able to do.”
“If someone has a lesser right than someone else, then we’re not united,” Watson said, as he maintained that Sunday’s alt-right leader was “here for everyone.”
“I think Jason Kessler is misunderstood,” Watson added in another interview. “He’s a good person and he’s not a racist.
As for the rally itself, the rain cut the event short, which lifted the spirits of counter-protesters, who met the hate group in Lafayette Park to condemn their cause. However, in Charlottesville, things were much less hectic, as several dozen people gathered to pay respect to Heyer, who was killed in last year’s White Supremacist rally.
Brandon Watson, wearing an American flag as a cape, stood out as he marched and spoke alongside the Unite the Right leaders in Washington.
Watson, who is black, said he felt it was important to stand with the group to support freedom of speech https://t.co/TXhlchhXfO pic.twitter.com/DWwNTOa0v6
— ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) August 13, 2018
