WASHINGTON _ It was basically all over before it even began as a few dozen white nationalists rallied in Washington Sunday evening under rainy skies.
Police separated the protesters from a much larger group of anti-racism demonstrators to prevent a melee like the one a year ago in Charlottesville, Va., which cast a shadow over Donald Trump's presidency.
Permits for Sunday's "Unite the Right 2" rally indicated that about 400 demonstrators were expected in Lafayette Square, a park adjacent to the White House. But far fewer showed up; heavy thunderstorms rolling through downtown Washington may have discouraged participation.
As they arrived, the protesters, including some who'd covered their faces, carried U.S. flags and held signs with slogans such as "White Lives Matter." A few wore Trump's signature "Make America Great Again" baseball caps.
Counterprotesters gathered at various downtown locations in a predominantly Democratic city that until recent years was majority black. Many went to the same park as the white nationalists while others rallied outside the Trump International Hotel.
When a few dozen people from the Unite the Right rally arrived, counter-protesters yelled "Shame! Shame!" and "Nazis Go Home!"
Many anti-racism activists began the afternoon at Freedom Plaza, blocks from the White House. They rallied before the white nationalists arrived, with a series of speeches, poems, music and criticism of Trump. There were signs with messages like "Unite Against Hate" and "Racist-in-Chief."
Kerbie Joseph led the crowd in chants against racism and fascism, urging people to "fight back" and stand together to demand a more just society. "We know what that White House represents," Joseph said through the microphone. "We know this system is against us."
Kim Sienkiewicz, 51, a reading specialist from Bethesda, Md., said she bought her family Black Lives Matter T-shirts last year after Trump's election, which they wore at the rally.
"I'm here because I deplore racism," Sienkiewicz said. "The racism and fascism we see on the rise now has always been here, but this president has made them think it's OK. We need to drive this back into the shadows."
Jason Kessler, the organizer of the white rights protest and the ill-fated 2017 event in Charlottesville described the counterprotesters as intolerant.
"This is a pretty moderate demonstration," Kessler said of the nationalists who joined him. "Is this racism epidemic a real thing or is it made up to control people?"
In August 2017, white supremacist demonstrators and counterprotesters squared off in violent clashes in Charlottesville, site of the University of Virginia. The conflict culminated in the death of Heather Heyer, 32, when James Alex Fields Jr., whose social media accounts included posts espousing white supremacy, purposely drove his car into a crowd of counterprotesters.
Marking the anniversary on Saturday, Trump condemned "all types of racism and acts of violence," a shift from his widely-criticized equivocation of 2017.
Trump drew condemnation in the days that followed when he appeared to equivocate the actions of white supremacists and those that opposed them.
"I think there is blame on both sides," Trump said at a news conference. He said the white-nationalist protesters in Charlottesville included "some very fine people."
Criticism came from within Trump's administration, including from Gary Cohn, at the time the president's economic adviser. Some Republican lawmakers also pushed back, although initial statements by House Speaker Paul Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell didn't mention Trump by name.
Trump's remarks also led to a series of business leaders announcing they would resign from a council providing assistance to the administration. The advisory group was then abolished.
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(Ari Natter and Jordan Yadoo contributed to this report.)
