The Charlottesville combined LOL-fest and show trial of the organisers of the "Unite the Right" event in 2017 is almost over.
On Wednesday (17th) the defence wrapped up its case and now it just remains for the jury to decide. The civil case, in which two of the accused -- Richard Spencer and Christopher Cantwell -- have been amateurishly defending themselves, could lead to massive financial damages reaching into the millions. This is especially a problem for Spencer who is the only one with considerable financial assets to redistribute.
Even worse for Spencer on Monday (15th) another leading defendant Jason Kessler attempted to create "blue water" between himself and Spencer.
During Monday's session Spencer, attempted to defend himself against Kessler's characterisation of him as a narcissistic sociopath who loves Hitler. He asked Kessler when he decided he was a “sociopath and narcissist.”
“The first time I met you,” said Kessler. “You made my skin crawl. You were like a robot or serial killer… You and Eli Mosley [Elliot Kline] were calling me a Jew because I wouldn’t sieg heil with you.”
In fact, Spencer, rather than trying to defend himself, seemed more intent on implicating the other defendants in his own irresponsible behaviour, which included setting up a Nazi-style torchlight parade through the University of Virginia campus in order to "trigger" violence from the Left.
Spencer asked Kessler about a Facebook conversation in which Kessler said the best way to draw antifa was to say Richard Spencer was there.
“So many people hate you that it draws a lot of attention,” Kessler explained to Spencer.
“Is this kind of your M.O., to use people like me to get people riled up?” asked Spencer.
“A little bit of controversy goes a long way,” said Kessler.
Spencer's strategy of trying to drag Kessler down with him seemed to be working as the plaintiffs' attorney Karen Dunn introduced multiple exhibits in which Kessler appeared to promote Unite the Right as a violent event.
“I think we need to have a Battle of Berkeley event in Charlottesville,” Kessler posted on Discord server, referring to a violent California protest earlier in 2017.
“I would go to the ends of the earth to secure a future for my people,” he said in a Discord post also in 2017. “This is war.”
Most embarrassing of all Kessler was even caught simping to Spencer: “We’re raising an army my liege. For free speech and the cracking of skulls if it comes to it.”
In multiple Discord posts, Kessler tried to discourage attendees from openly carrying firearms, but not for fear of gunfire, but because “I don’t want to scare antifa off from throwing the first punch.”
After Unite the Right attendee James Fields plowed his car into a crowd of "counter-protesters" Kessler messaged Spencer's factotum Eliot Kline three times saying that they needed to shut down the Discord server, where many attendees made plans to go to the rally. When asked about this, he said:
“People were saying highly inappropriate things. Specifically, people were mocking Heather Heyer. That was my concern. I didn’t want Discord to be a platform for these trolls.”
The case essentially hinges on whether the jury sees the incendiary Nazi-esque language and optics promoted by the event's dominant figure Richard Spencer as triggering the violence that followed. If the jury does see it that way, Spencer wants to make sure that Kessler and the others share in his punishment.
(Quotes come from detailed reports on the case by the local paper)