Durham Filled With Protesters After Rumors of KKK Rally Spread

The streets of Durham, North Carolina are filled with anti-racist protesters who heard rumors that the Ku Klux Klan was planning to rally in the city on Friday.

North Carolina officials, including City Councilor Jillian Johnson, issued warnings Friday morning that the KKK was planning to hold a rally outside the Old Durham County Courthouse, where protesters toppled a Confederate statue last weekend.

White supremacists are marching at the new courthouse in Durham at noon today. https://t.co/yU7cgItqg7

— Jillian Johnson (@JillianDURM) August 18, 2017

"At this time, law enforcement continues to monitor the area and have not confirmed reports of activity," Sheriff Mike Andrews told the Winston-Salem Journal. "We are urging the public to avoid circulating rumors on social media and instead wait for verified information from officials monitoring the situation."

State public radio station WUNC reports that "several thousand people are marching in downtown Durham in a demonstration against racism."

No #KKK #durham pic.twitter.com/r0KJJ6xv5U

— Ashley D. Farmer (@drashleyfarmer) August 18, 2017

A protester told me two Nazis were at the courthouse applying for a protest permit, chased away by marchers #durham pic.twitter.com/VQnBhVPPZu

— Emma Kromm (@EmmaKromm) August 18, 2017

IWW and supporters blocking Main and Corcoran. #durham pic.twitter.com/KQfmbZA1oj

— Biff Hollingsworth (@tarnational) August 18, 2017

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