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White nationalist group and counterprotesters face off at Georgia's Stone Mountain monument

Posted at 2:23 PM, Aug 15, 2020
and last updated 2020-08-15 14:24:00-04

STONE MOUNTAIN, Georgia — Georgia's Stone Mountain Park is closed Saturday as a tense standoff between white nationalist protesters and counterprotesters continues nearby.

The white nationalist group that claimed to organize today's rally said on social media it was "time to fight back" against those "who wish to erase our ancestors' heritage and destroy our monuments!"

Stone Mountain is home to the largest monument to the Confederacy.

Counterprotesters appeared to outnumber the white nationalists and chanted "racists go home."

According to NBC affiliate WXIA in Atlanta, the counterprotesters consist of members from Black Lives Matter, Antifa and a group called "Flower United."

"Flower United's" website says they will continue to protest until, "the racist monument carved into the side of Stone Mountain is finally sandblasted away."

The city has asked the general public to avoid going to Stone Mountain, and specifically downtown, today and tonight.

White nationalist groups had been planning this weekend's demonstration in response to a march by a black militia group at Stone Mountain in early July.