Steve Helber/Associated Press
- The ex-girlfriend of a 'Unite the Right' organizer said the group discussed the legality of running over protesters.
- Samantha Froelich testified in the 'Unite the Right' civil trial on Tuesday in Western Virginia District Court.
- Froelich said some organizers of the rally also talked about what types of weapons they could bring to the event.
The ex-girlfriend of a Charlottesville 'Unite the Right' rally organizer said some who coordinated the event discussed the legality of running over protestors before the rally.
The court played a video of Samantha Froelic's earlier recorded testimony in the 'Unite the Right' civil trial on Tuesday.
Froelich is the ex-girlfriend of Eli Mosley, a defendant in the case. Mosley, whose real name is Eli Kline, is a prominent neo-Nazi and the former head of the white supremacist group, Identity Evropa.
Froelich said in her testimony that Identity Evropa held multiple parties at the home of prominent white supremacist, Richard Spencer, at one of which some members of the group talked about the legality of running over counter-protesters.
Froelich said there was an idea "circulating" at the party that if someone was on their way to work "in North Carolina or in Virginia" and there was a protest taking place in the street, they could "hit the protester and the law would be on your side."
Froelich testified that there were "maybe a handful" of people at the party and she couldn't remember who specifically said that it could be legal to run over protesters, but she said that the conversation did take place in the context of what would be legal to do at the 'Unite the Right' rally.
According to Froelich, there was another party at Spencer's house in the summer of 2017 in which Identity Evropa members discussed what type of weapons they should bring to the rally.
"It would be things like what you can bring that, if you're caught with it, it was a like a defense weapon," Froelich said. "I think someone brought up bringing a flagpole with them and have a knife tucked in it and tape it in there."
Froelich said she didn't attend the rally because she was concerned that it would be violent and went to work instead.
"I hoped the city would shut it down," Froelich said.
Froelich said that she was "really embarrassed" and "carries a lot of shame" about her time in the alt-right movement. She testified that she joined the movement to share common interests with her boyfriend.
Froelich said eventually left Mosley after she confronted him about his extremist beliefs and he allegedly told her that he couldn't be with someone who didn't support his "fascist" views.
The nine plaintiffs in the case are suing 35 organizers of the rally. The plaintiffs allege that organizers conspired to incite violence at the event in which a white supremacist rammed his car into a group of counter-protestors, killing a woman in August 2017.