WASHINGTON, Aug. 16 (Xinhua) -- Torches are always a powerful image in mass gatherings, but when that happened in Charlottesville, a historic college town in the U.S. state of Virginia, even the company that produces the torches used in the events came out to voice its disapproval.
"TIKI Brand is not associated in any way with the events that took place in Charlottesville and are deeply saddened and disappointed," the company said in a statement post on Facebook on Sunday, in reference to the mayhem triggered by white supremacists in Charlottesville over the weekend.
"We do not support their message or the use of our products in this way. Our products are designed to enhance backyard gatherings and to help family and friends connect with each other at home in their yard," the statement said.
On its official web page, TIKI identifies itself as a backyard illumination expert and a creator of a "cleaner flame with less soot and smoke."
On Friday night, hundreds white nationalists holding Tiki torches marched through the University of Virginia, chanting "White lives matter" and waving placard with Nazi slogans, following the city's decision to remove symbols of its Confederate past.
The march triggered an even larger rally of opposing groups over the weekend, with violent clashes leading to the death of one women and injuries of at least 19 people.
