As Republican candidate for governor in Virginia Glenn Youngkin arrives at his bus for a campaign event at Charlottesville's Mexican restaurant, a small group of protestors dressed up as "Unite the Right", rally-goers carrying tiki torch stands on a street. Jonathan Ernst/Reuters
Glenn Youngkin's bus pulled up in Charlottesville, Virginia on Friday, and posed for tiki torch holders.
Later, the Lincoln Project, an anti Trump Republican group, admitted that it was behind the plot.
They claimed it was to recall Virginians of the white supremacist "Unite the Right” rally in 2017.
On Friday, a group of people armed with tiki torch arrived at an event in Charlottesville, Virginia for Republican candidate Glenn Youngkin. They posed in front of Youngkin's tour bus.
They were actually sent by the Lincoln Project, an anti Trump Republican group.
The tiki torch was a nod towards the 2017 "Unite the Right" rally in Charlottesville. White supremacists, neo-Nazis, and others marched with tiki torch in hand, some chanting "Jews won't replace us."
This stunt was carried out the same week as a civil trial against rally organizers, and just days before Virginia's gubernatorial elections on November 2.
Elizabeth Holmes, a local NBC reporter shared a photo of them on Twitter. She reported that they said something like "We're all here for Glenn."
People began to notice something odd online and Youngkin's campaign even accused Virginia Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe was accused of orchestrating the act.
Vice News identified the person in the photo with a "low-level Democratic operator" and stated that the Lincoln Project had admitted to the responsibility for the stunt.
"Today's demonstration was our means of reminding Virginians about Charlottesville four years back, the Republican Party’s embrace of these values and Glenn Youngkin’s failure to condemn them," the conservative group stated in a statement.
It also stated that Youngkin would denounce Trump's claim that Charlottesville rioters had'very fine' characteristics, and we would withdraw the tiki torch. We'll be back until then."
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It was a reference, in part, to Trump's comments that there were "very good people" on both sides at the 2017 rally. Heather Heyer was killed during this rally when an avowed neo-Nazi drove into a group.
McAuliffe's campaign condemned Friday night's stunt.
"What happened in Charlottesville today is distasteful. The McAuliffe campaign condemns this in the strongest terms. "Those responsible should immediately apologize," Terry for Virginia Campaign manager Chris Bolling stated in a tweet.
Business Insider has the original article.
