White Supremacist Who Boasted About Being 'Ready for Violence' Cries Over Possible Charlottesville Arrest Warrant

White supremacists in Charlottesville
White supremacists clashed with counterprotesters at a rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, on August 12. Joshua Roberts/Reuters

A neo-Nazi who said he was "ready for violence" at the deadly rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, has released footage of himself weeping after learning there is allegedly a warrant out for his arrest.

Christopher Cantwell, who was followed during the gathering of neo-Nazis, KKK, white supremacists and alt-right for a 22-minute documentary for VICE, showed off his guns to journalist Elle Reeve and boasted: "I'm carrying a pistol, I go to the gym all the time, I'm trying to make myself more capable of violence."

However, in mobile phone footage uploaded to YouTube on Wednesday, Cantwell said he was terrified after learning the police wanted to speak with him.

"I have been told there's a warrant out for my arrest," he said on the video. "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 want to be peaceful. I want to be law-abiding. That was the whole entire point of this," Cantwell continues. "I'm watching CNN talk about this as a violent, white nationalist protest. We have done everything in our power to keep this peaceful!" he added.

The neo-Nazi, who said in the VICE interview that he would like to see someone "more racist than Trump" in the White House, with his ideal candidate for president being someone who did not "give his daughter away to a Jew," provided a contact number for police to get in touch if there was a warrant out for his arrest.

"If I can confirm you are in fact law enforcement I will give you my location and let you come and get me. I am armed, I do not want violence with you. I'm terrified, I'm afraid you're going to kill me, I really am," he said.

"If I gotta go to jail today, you know it won't be the f**king first time… I honestly believe I have been law-abiding. I have been engaged in violence, I have, there's no question about it and I've done nothing to hide that but it was in defense of myself and others and I would not have done it for any other reason," he added.

Uncommon Knowledge

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

About the writer



To read how Newsweek uses AI as a newsroom tool, Click here.

Newsweek cover
  • Newsweek magazine delivered to your door
  • Newsweek Voices: Diverse audio opinions
  • Enjoy ad-free browsing on Newsweek.com
  • Comment on articles
  • Newsweek app updates on-the-go
Newsweek cover
  • Newsweek Voices: Diverse audio opinions
  • Enjoy ad-free browsing on Newsweek.com
  • Comment on articles
  • Newsweek app updates on-the-go