WASHINGTON, June 20 (Xinhua) -- Hundreds of people are expected here for a demonstration this summer on the one-year anniversary of the deadly "Unite the Right" rally in Charlottesville in the U.S. state of Virginia.
The National Park Service approved an application for the August rally, but no permit has been issued yet.
Last year's rally in historic Charlottesville, held on Aug. 12 to protest cities taking down Confederate statues, attracted national attention when white supremacists and counter-protesters clashed violently.
A 32-year-old woman was killed and 19 others were injured when a man associated with white nationalist groups allegedly drove a car into the crowd of counter-protesters.
U.S. President Donald Trump drew a firestorm of criticism following the incident when he said "both sides" were to blame for the violence.
Jason Kessler, who helped organize Unite the Right, is planning this year's "white civil rights" rally at Lafayette Square near the White House.
The park service signed off on the application for the event on Aug. 11-12.
Kessler wrote in his application that he expects 400 people to attend this year's rally.
"This year we have a new purpose," he said. "And that's to talk about the civil rights abuse that happened in Charlottesville, Virginia last year."
A permit to host another rally in Charlottesville this year was denied due to public safety concerns and Kessler said he was suing the city over the matter.
Kessler was also barred from the University of Virginia campus in Charlottesville after the school said multiple students reported Kessler had threatened them.
Prior to the Unite the Right rally last summer, Kessler led hundreds of torch-bearing white supremacists and neo-Nazis marching through the university's campus while chanting anti-Semitic slogans.
