<p>A photograph shows a black police officer protecting participants in a white supremacist protest in Charlottesville.</p> 
<p>On 12 August 2017, just after the occurrence of violent and <a type="internal">tragic</a> events at a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, left multiple people dead, an image was widely circulated via social media seemingly showing a black police officer calmly standing guard to protect a group of racist protesters carrying Confederate flags, wearing Ku Klux Klan garb, and issuing Nazi salutes:</p> 
<p>Although this photograph was genuine, it was not &#8212; as was widely assumed (or stated) in social media posts &#8212; a picture snapped at the 12 August 2017 white nationalist rally in Charlottesville. The image had been posted online well over a month earlier, as shown in this 9 July 2017 tweet from Tucson, Arizona, police chief Chris Magnus:</p> 
<q> <p>Photo says it all. Police around nation called upon w/regularity to protect 1st Amend rights no matter how heinous they may find the speech. <a href="https://t.co/3keTS7bdX2" type="external">pic.twitter.com/3keTS7bdX2</a></p> </q> 
<p>It was also posted on Facebook at that time by Kimberly Payne Hawk, who described the pictured policeman as &#8220;Charlottesville Police Officer Nash&#8221;:</p> 
<p>A few days later, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/FrankSomervilleKTVU/posts/1551137301616258:0" type="external">Frank Somerville</a> of Oakland television station KTVU wrote of the latter posting that:</p> 
<q> <p>Kimberly&#8217;s post went viral.</p> <p>But there were also a number of really nasty comments.</p> <p>And Kimberly later posted this in response:</p> <p>&#8220;On Monday I saw a photo from the KKK rally that moved me and I posted it. Now it has gone viral and mean, angry people are coming out of the woodwork.</p> <p>I do not care about the rude comments towards me but I am becoming quite irritated at the attacks on our local police officer.</p> <p>He is getting attacked for being an African American police officer who was protecting the free speech rights of the klan and I am getting accused of being a supporter of racism because my sister is a police officer.</p> <p>It must be a horrible way to live to be so defensive and angry all the time.</p> <p>I hope these people can find some happiness and peace at some point in their lives.&#8221;</p> <p>I&#8217;m dumbfounded that anyone could criticize this officer and what he&#8217;s doing.</p> <p>Thank you Officer Nash for your service.</p> <p>And thank you Kimberly Payne Hawk for posting this.</p> </q> 
<p>The image originated with a Ku Klux Klan <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2017/07/08/kkk-holds-rally-virginia-and-met-protesters/462146001/" type="external">rally</a> held in downtown Charlottesville on 8 July 2017:</p> 
<p>The photograph was snapped by during that protest by Jill Mumie, one of several shots she captured on her iPhone:</p> 
<q> <p>That afternoon, she positioned herself near an area that had been cordoned off &#8220;in anticipation of what might unfold.&#8221; She purposefully stayed in front of the officer, waiting for what she felt was the right moment that captured the &#8220;bizarre&#8221; scene that was unfolding.</p> <p>Once the Loyal White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan arrived, she recalled &#8220;a huge surge of people behind me.&#8221; And so with her iPhone, Mumie tried a few different shots. In one outtake, a girl stands beside the officer, snapping a picture of the commotion as the officer stares elsewhere. The angle of his chin, the tilt of his head, something felt off. In another outtake, the attention is focused on a man behind the officer who displays a middle finger in Mumie&#8217;s direction.</p> </q> 
<p>The officer pictured in the image was a Charlottesville High School school resource officer named Darius Nash, who said, &#8220;I don&#8217;t feel like I&#8217;m a hero for it. I swore to protect my city and that&#8217;s what I was there to do. I don&#8217;t think it makes me a hero, just doing what I believe in.&#8221;</p> 
<p>Snopes.com has long been engaged in the battle against misinformation, an effort we could not sustain without the support of our readers.</p> 
<p>If you'd like to learn more about how you can support us, click <a type="internal">here</a>.</p>
Racist Protesters Protected by Black Policeman?