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Police Officer John Donnelly will remain on leave pending the outcome of an internal affairs investigation, Woburn Police Chief Robert Rufo announced on Thursday, Oct. 13. Donnelly was a reserve officer at the time of the rally.
The Unite The Right rally was a flashpoint for the alt-right movement, where thousands of white nationalists descended on Charlottesville after city leaders decided to remove a statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee. Protesters marched alongside neo-Nazis and the Ku Klux Klan member and shouted antisemitic slurs and Nazi slogans.
One of the biggest names at the event was white nationalist Richard Spencer, who the Southern Poverty Law Center calls a "professional racist in khakis."
In a YouTube video titled "Behind the scenes footage of 'Unite the Right' white nationalist rally in Charlottesville VA Part 10" from The Red Mage, a man who appears to be Donnelly acts as Spencer's security while he greets supporters
Click here to watch the age-restricted video.
“What was said and done in Charlottesville is in direct opposition to the core values of the Woburn Police Department, to serve all members of our community equally and treat them with dignity and respect,” Chief Rufo said. “Should this allegation be sustained, the Woburn Police Department will ask Massachusetts Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission to decertify Officer Donnelly, ensuring he may no longer serve in law enforcement in Massachusetts.”
Heather Heyer, 32, was killed while protesting the rally after James Alex Fields drove his car into a group of people.
“The Charlottesville rally is a dark moment in our history, and deeply disturbing," Woburn Mayor Galvin said. "The City of Woburn is taking these allegations seriously by investigating the incident thoroughly and I will move to terminate Officer Donnelly if the investigation concludes that the allegations are accurate.”
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