Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Make a sustaining gift today to support local journalism!

Sununu Decries White Supremacist Rally in Charlottesville: 'Absolutely Disgusting'

Allegra Boverman for NHPR

  Gov. Chris Sununu condemned the violence that broke out at a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville this weekend and said “it’s appalling to [him] that in the year 2017 we're even having this conversation.”

“It's absolutely disgusting” Sununu told NHPR on Sunday. “That kind of racism, you know, this white supremacy stuff — it's just, there's absolutely no place for it.”

The governor also said it’s up to everyone to speak out against the racism that fueled the event in the first place.

“It's important that everybody step up and make sure that those that would portray such hatred — there's no place for that, not in Virginia, not in New Hampshire, not anywhere in this country,” Sununu said. “And it's important that we all step up and let people know that there's no place for that in our culture anywhere in the United States."

Unlike Sununu, President Trump did not immediately single out white supremacy as a factor in the violence — and has been criticized by both Republicans and Democrats for that omission. When asked about the distinction between Trump’s words and his own, Sununu did not join in on that criticism.

sununu_-_potus.mp3
Sununu on Trump's response to the violence in Charlottesville.

“The president's statement condemned it,” Sununu said. “I mean, no matter what the president says, people are going to criticize it. But at the end of the day it's about what we do moving forward, right? That's what I'm concerned about.”

Continuing, Sununu said it’s important “to have a collective voice that there's no place for that.”

“The more positive you can stay, the more you can talk about building constructive solutions, constructive bridges in working together, that's how over time you create a culture of not allowing that kind of hatred and racism into our society,” Sununu added.

Casey is a Senior News Editor for NHPR. You can contact her with questions or feedback at cmcdermott@nhpr.org.

You make NHPR possible.

NHPR is nonprofit and independent. We rely on readers like you to support the local, national, and international coverage on this website. Your support makes this news available to everyone.

Give today. A monthly donation of $5 makes a real difference.