‘Crying Nazi’ Vows ‘Destruction’ of the Left after Charlottesville Killer’s Murder Conviction

Christopher Cantwell is helped by police after being overcome by tear gas during the 2017 “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville. [Evelyn Hockstein/For The Washington Post]

When Christopher Cantwell learned that self-professed neo-Nazi James Alex Fields Jr. had been convicted of murder, he promised violent retribution — “complete and total destruction” by “an army of fanatics” ready to die for their cause.

But, as with everything Cantwell has done since August 2017, his vow was at least somewhat blunted by his dramatic fall and humiliating nickname: the “Crying Nazi.”

Cantwell, who earned the nickname for his reaction to news of a warrant for his arrest, made the threats on Friday, the same day Fields was found guilty of first-degree murder for ramming his car through a crowd of counterprotesters at the “Unite the Right” rally last year in Charlottesville. Heather Heyer, 32, was killed, and 35 others were injured, many grievously.