George Bush issues joint statement with father condemning 'racial bigotry and hatred' in Charlottesville

Two former US presidents have issued a strong statement condemning the white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia – one day after President Donald Trump failed to do so.

Former President George HW Bush and his son, former President George W Bush, issued a joint statement calling on Americans to “reject racial bigotry, anti-Semitism, and hatred in all forms”.

“As we pray for Charlottesville, we are reminded of the fundamental truths recorded by that city’s most prominent citizen in the Declaration of Independence: we are all created equal and endowed by our Creator with unalienable rights,” the prominent Republicans wrote.

The statement comes on the heels of the largest white nationalist gathering in the US in decades. This weekend, neo-Nazis, KKK members, “alt-right” activists and others descended on Charlottesville to protest the removal of a Confederate statue. The marchers clashed with counter-protesters throughout the weekend, leaving dozens of people injured and one dead.

Mr Trump vacillated on the issue, initially blaming the casualties on “violence on both sides". Later, under intense pressure, he condemned the white nationalists groups by name.

One day later however, in a free-wheeling press conference at Trump Tower, the President returned to his condemnation of the “very, very violent” counter-protesters.

“What about the alt-left that came charging at the, as you say, the alt-right? Do they have any semblance of guilt?“ he asked on Tuesday, adding: “You had a group on one side that was bad, and you had a group on the other side that was also very violent.”

The comments drove politicians on either side of the aisle to speak out against white supremacy. House Speaker Paul Ryan declared that there can be “no moral ambiguity” when it comes to the “repulsive” ideology, while Republican Senator Marco Rubio warned against “allow[ing] this old evil to be resurrected”.

The Bushes – the only other Republican presidents alive today – weighed in on Wednesday.

Two other former presidents had already offered their comments over the weekend. Bill Clinton tweeted on Saturday that the US “must condemn hatred, violence and white supremacy".

Mr Trump’s predecessor, Barack Obama, expressed his thoughts via a quote from Nelson Mandela, in what quickly became the most-liked tweet of all time.

“No one is born hating another person because of the colour of his skin or his background or his religion,” he wrote. “People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love.”