Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe has declared a state of emergency as demonstrations in Charlottesville erupted into violence Saturday morning.
The demonstrations precede a "Unite the Right" rally called by white nationalists in response to a plan to remove a statue of Confederate general Robert E. Lee from a park in Charlottesville, Virginia.
Thousands of white nationalist protesters, as well as groups that oppose them, have clashed during demonstrations that are currently ongoing.
Images and videos of the protest have appeared on Twitter and depict police confronting protesters and deploying tear gas.
The announcement came shortly after city and Albemarle County officials declared a local state of emergency as protests in the Virginia college town grew violent.
Skirmishes ignited hours before a scheduled noon protest at Charlottesville's Emancipation Park, where white supremacists, white nationalists and alt-right groups were set to protest the city's decision to remove a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee.
Soon after the emergency declaration, police declared an unlawful assembly at the park and began asking crowds there to disperse.
Video of the chaos shows police dressed in riot gear marching on the scene as some people appeared to leave the park.
Tensions were high in Charlottesville ahead of the protest. Men holding bats and clubs and wearing helmets clashed with one another in the streets, with police doing little to break up the violence according to The Washington Post.
A protest on the campus of the University of Virginia on Friday that appeared to be connected to Saturday's event resulted in at least one person taken away in handcuffs.
