Black Lives Matter DC preparing counter protest against 'White Civil Rights Rally' near White House

WASHINGTON - Black Lives Matter organizers said they will be holding a counter protest against a rally in support of white civil rights that is set to take place in the nation's capital.

The "White Civil Rights Rally" is scheduled to be held at Lafayette Park nearby the White House on Aug. 12, which will be the one-year anniversary of the violent white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Black Lives Matter DC and the group, Shut It Down D.C., are preparing to hold a counter protest on the same day, and while they do plan to move forward with this, they have expressed concerns about safety.

Last year's "Unite the Right" rally in Charlottesville ended up turning violent after a driver plowed into a crowd and killed a 32-year-old woman.

Jason Kessler, one of the organizers of last year's rally, withdrew his request for a court order that was seeking to force Charlottesville to issue him a permit to hold another rally in the city next month.

Instead, Kessler tweeted that they will now be "focusing exclusively on Washington DC on August 12th."

A Black Lives Matter DC organizer said when they heard about the upcoming "White Civil Rights Rally," they were disappointed their application for a permit was approved by the National Park Service.

However, they said their mission is to counter the message by speaking out against fascism and racism.

"We are stronger than they are, that they are resistant to change and to progress that Black Lives Matter has been doing over the last four years with black liberation and fighting racism and fascism," said Makia Green of Black Lives Matter DC. "So it's important that we let D.C. and rest of the world know that we are not going to stand for the hate."

Green said because of the safety concerns and the large crowds that are expected, they will be making training classes available to attendees.

FOX 5 reached out to the organizers of the "White Civil Rights Rally," but did not hear back from them as of Thursday night.