国际英语新闻:Hundreds of Chicagoans rally for Charlottesville victims

CHICAGO, Aug. 14 (Xinhua) -- Several hundred people joined a Sunday evening vigil at Federal Plaza in downtown Chicago, for those who fell victim to the violence in Charlottesville of Virginia during the weekend.

The "vigil in solidarity with Charlottesville" was held by a broad coalition of active organizations in Chicago. There was a "living memorial" of flowers to honor all the victims to the car attack in Charlottesville. ( Speakers from across different organizations and affected communities shared their stories of "unity and defiance in the face of racism."

"We are calling on our friends, our community to join us for a vigil to mourn the death of the young woman who lost her life to the car attack at the Charlottesville counter protests today, and the victims who've been brutally injured by this attack," organizers wrote in its Facebook.

"We also hope that we can come together as a community to heal, to reaffirm our commitment to protecting each other's lives, to defending each other's rights and freedoms, and to continue our struggle for an America that loves and welcomes us all," they said.

African American community organizer Anthony Clark said white people must no longer put up with racists and now is the time to truly fight for justice.

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanual released a statement Saturday, saying "as Americans our greatest strength is diversity. Violence rooted in racism, bigotry and prejudice has no place in our society and must be condemned at every turn."

A rally staged by white nationalists in Charlottesville turned violent Saturday. After hours brawls between the pro-rally far-right figures and anti-racism protesters, a sport car ploughed into crowd against the rally, killing a 32-year-old local woman and injuring 19.

Two troopers were killed after a police helicopter crashed 7 miles (11 km) southwest of Charlottesville.