A trial is set to begin for Jacob Joseph Dix, a participant in the 2017 white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. Dix, along with several others, is charged with using flaming torches to intimidate counterprotesters during the rally.
The trial of Dix, 29, from Clarksville, Ohio, marks the first test of a 2002 law that deems burning something to intimidate and instill fear of injury or death as a felony offense. This law was enacted following a state Supreme Court ruling that deemed a previous cross-burning statute unconstitutional.
The 2017 rally saw hundreds of white nationalists marching through the University of Virginia campus, brandishing torches and chanting hateful slogans. The demonstrations were organized in part to oppose the removal of a statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee, resulting in one of the largest gatherings of white nationalists in a decade.
Indictments revealed that 11 individuals were charged with intimidation by fire, with five already pleading guilty to the charge. Dix is the first to face trial in this case.
Following the initial rally, violence erupted the next day during a planned 'Unite the Right' rally. The event turned deadly when a white supremacist deliberately drove his car into a crowd of counterprotesters, resulting in one fatality and numerous injuries. The perpetrator is currently serving a life sentence for murder and hate crimes.
Dix, reflecting on his past actions, expressed to a local newspaper that he has undergone significant personal growth in the past seven years. His defense attorney argues that the actions of the white nationalists were protected under the First Amendment as free speech.
Special prosecutor Shannon Taylor was appointed to handle the case due to a conflict of interest involving the local Commonwealth's Attorney's office. The trial, taking place in Albemarle Circuit Court, is anticipated to last approximately one week.
