Chris Cantwell showed off a cadre of guns and bragged that he was “ready for violence” at this weekend’s white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, but now the infamous neo-Nazi leader has struck a very different tone after learning there could be a warrant for his arrest.
Cantwell, who was featured heavily in a VICE documentary about the violent protests in the Virginia city, released a video on Wednesday in which he wept after learning that he could be wanted by police. Cantwell was portrayed as one of the ring leaders of the protests, which arose in response to the city’s plans to tear down Confederate monuments in a city park.
In the documentary, Cantwell bragged that he was armed and prepared for violent encounters.
“I’m carrying a pistol, I go to the gym all the time, I’m trying to make myself more capable of violence,” he said.
Chris Cantwell did not appear to play any role in the weekend’s deadly attack, in which police said suspected neo-Nazi James Fields drove his car through a group of counter-protesters, killing one person and injuring 19 others.
It was not clear why police could want to arrest Cantwell, but the neo-Nazi leader was clearly shaken by the development.
“I have been told there’s a warrant out for my arrest,” he said in the video, with tears in his eyes. “With everything that’s happening, I don’t think it’s very wise for me to go anywhere. There’s a state of emergency. The National Guard is here!”
“I don’t know what to do. I need guidance,” he said wiping away tears. “Our enemies will not stop, they’ve been threatening us all over the place… I’m terrified!”
‘I’m terrified’: White nationalist Christopher Cantwell cries in video about… https://t.co/N9qlfscwwu
— checkissuing.com (@checkissuing) August 17, 2017
After bragging that he was ready for violence at Charlottesville, Chris Cantwell appeared to walk back those claims and say this his group did everything they could to keep the peace at the rally.
Cantwell’s tear-filled video went viral across the internet on Wednesday, especially in the wake of VICE’s popular documentary on the violent weekend. Cantwell was one of the key figures and cut an intimidating demeanor, and many left-leaning outlets appeared to take pleasure in seeing him wiping away tears in the response video.
“Bottom line: Neo-Nazi leader Christopher Cantwell is a domestic terrorist, and his tears of unfathomable sadness are delicious.,” a blog post on Patheos noted.
Interviewed in the video: anti-Semitic, Alt-Right shock jock & unapologetic fascist Christopher Cantwell https://t.co/HTllJJEJku
— Southern Poverty Law Center (@splcenter) August 16, 2017
The full video of Chris Cantwell’s tear-filled plea to police can be seen here , but be warned that there is some not-safe-for-work language.
[Featured Image by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images]
