US: Charlottesville white supremacist pleads not guilty

By Safvan Allahverdi

WASHINGTON (AA) - A white supremacist who drove his car into a crowd of counter-protestors in Charlottesville, Virginia last year, killing one and wounding 19 others, pleaded not guilty Thursday to federal hate crime charges.

James Alex Fields Jr., 20, was indicted on 30 counts of federal crimes by a federal grand jury in late June, including a hate crime act resulting in the death of 32-year-old Heather Heyer, who was protesting against the white supremacist “Unite the Right” rally last summer.

Fields told U.S. Magistrate Judge Joel Hoppe that he is being treated for bipolar disorder, anxiety, depression and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

His indictment stated that Fields, before leaving for Charlottesville, received a text message from a relative asking him to be careful.

"We are not the ones who need to be careful," Fields responded, attaching an image of Adolf Hitler, according to the documents.

He was arrested shortly after the crash and denied bail in his first court appearance.

Fields Jr. was photographed on the front line of the white supremacist gathering with other white men holding a shield emblazoned with the black and white emblem of one of the hate groups that participated in the two-day rally, which is thought to be the largest recent gathering of white nationalists.

Activists have warned of an emboldening of the groups since President Donald Trump was elected. Hate incidents targeting minorities have since soared.