TO THE SLAMMER

Three Charlottesville Protesters Get Prison Time for Attacking Anti-Racism Demonstrators

Three members of a now-defunct white supremacist group got between two to three years for kicking and punching counter-protesters at the 2017 rally.

Three members of a now-defunct white supremacist group were sentenced to prison terms ranging from two to three years on Friday for attacking anti-racism demonstrators at the 2017 “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, the Associated Press reports. U.S. Attorney Thomas Cullen said the three men—Benjamin Daley, Michael Miselis, and Thomas Gillen—were motivated by a “hateful ideology.” “They were not interested in peaceful protest or lawful First Amendment expression; instead, they intended to provoke and engage in street battles with those that they perceived as their enemies,” Cullen said. The three men were caught on film punching and kicking counter-protesters at the rally. All three pleaded guilty to conspiracy to riot. Daley was sentenced to 37 months in prison, Gillen got 33 months, and Miselis got 27 months.