Biden honors Heather Heyer: She is ‘in every person who stands up to reject hatred and bigotry’

Former Vice President Joe Biden honored Heather Heyer on the first anniversary of her death in the white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Va., calling on the U.S. to fight against “hatred and bigotry.”

Biden tweeted Sunday that Heyer’s spirit is “in every person who stands up to reject hatred and bigotry.”

“Make no mistake: this fight goes on,” he continued. “The battle for the soul of this nation rests with each of us, everyday.”

Today we honor the memory of Heather Heyer, whose spirit we see in every person who stands up to reject hatred and bigotry. Make no mistake: this fight goes on. The battle for the soul of this nation rests with each of us, everyday.

— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) August 12, 2018

Heyer was killed when a man drove his car into a crowd of people protesting the white supremacist rally in Charlottesville last year. The suspect, James Fields, was later charged with federal hate crimes.

Biden condemned the violent rally at the time, saying that “racism and hate have no place” in the U.S.

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He also criticized President Trump for his reaction to the rally in Charlottesville, calling it “reprehensible.”

Trump faced intense backlash for his comments following the rally, during which he said blame was on “both sides” for the violence that broke out during the event.

A second “Unite the Right” rally was held in Washington, D.C. on Sunday on the original rally’s second anniversary; About 20 people attended the white supremacist rally and departed hours before it was scheduled to end.

Hundreds of counterprotesters gathered in the city, vastly outnumbering the attendees.