White nationalist who attended rally in Charlottesville explains his beliefs

Kyle Hanophy one of several South Florida residents who went to rally

MIAMI – During the violence in Virginia, hate groups came out of the shadows and became front page news.

Local 10 News spoke with a white nationalist Friday who was in Charlottesville. He explained his beliefs in ways that some might find surprising.

"Are you a neo-Nazi?" Local 10 News reporter Amy Viteri asked.

"I wouldn't define myself as a neo-Nazi," said Kyle Hanophy, who attended the rally in Charlottesville. "I would define myself as a white nationalist, maybe."

Viteri met with Hanophy, a resident of Coral Springs, outside the City of Coral Springs Police Department. The location was chosen as a neutral meeting point. City officials and the police department were not involved, so Hanophy's statements did not represent the city's views. 

Hanophy shared video that he shot at last weekend's "Unite the Right" rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. His footage shows several moments of violence as counterprotesters clashed with white nationalists and other right-wing groups.

"What was your impression of the events in Charlottesville?" Viteri asked.

"It was beautiful," Hanophy said.

His comment comes despite the moment in which a car came speeding at counterprotesters, killing Heather Heyer, 32, and injuring others.

"What about the woman who lost her life?" Viteri asked.

"Shouldn't be standing out in traffic, I suppose," Hanophy said.

"But it was a street full of people and somebody drove right into them," Viteri said.

"Well, there's tons of YouTube videos," Hanophy said. "So I suggest people check those out."

Hanophy is one of several South Florida residents who went to the rally. He supports what he calls a white majority, but claims he's not racist.

"Did you have any problem with some of those things being said?" Viteri asked.

"We had a lot of people of color in our event, so apparently they didn't have a problem with it," Hanophy said.

"But did you?" Viteri asked.

"I mean, it's not up to me. I'm white," Hanophy said.

Miami resident Enrique Tarrio went to the rally to protest removing Confederate monuments, but said he and others were troubled by Friday's march by torchlight.

"Did you participate in that march?" Viteri asked.

"No, I definitely didn't," Tarrio said. "After I saw the tiki torch thing, I was completely against it."

"I will not be silenced. I have no fears, and this is what America was built on," Hanophy said.

Both Hanophy and Tarrio told Viteri that they received death threats online because they attended the rally.