Richmond Confederate Protests: McLean Woman Charged

MCLEAN, VA—A McLean woman who participated in counter protests against a Confederate rally in Richmond this past weekend is being charge. The offense? Wearing a mask at the Sept. 16 event.

Richmond Police say Caroline Hill, 24, of McLean is one of four charged with wearing a mask in public. Under Virginia law, it is illegal for those 16 and over to wear a mask with the purpose of concealing their identities. According to CBS 6 Legal Analyst Todd Stone, Virginia implemented the law to bar Ku Klux Klan members from threatening people.

Hill, a counter protester at the Confederate rally, told the Richmond Times-Dispatch she wore a bandanna to cover her mouth and chin, but said she wasn't trying to conceal her identity from police.

"I was wearing the mask to protect myself from people who I was told were filming and photographing us with the intent of doxxing us," Hill told the Times-Dispatch.

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Hill said she participated in the counter protest to oppose Confederate monuments and pro-Confederate participants "intimidating people."

Court hearings are set for Oct. 31.

Authorities braced for the worst after the violence in Charlottesville, but in all there were seven arrests and no injuries at the Richmond Confederate rally.

The turnout was small for the "Heritage not Hate" rally, which protested the city's decision to consider removing the Robert E. Lee statue on the iconic Monument Avenue. A larger group of counter protesters gathered at a statue of Maggie Walker, a daughter of a slave that became a teacher and businesswoman. CBS News reported that the strong police presence was a contrast to that in Charlottesville.

Image via Martin Falbisoner/Wikimedia Commons