BREAKING: State of emergency in Virginia ahead of protests regarding confederate statue

A large group of white nationalist protesters surround a smaller group of counter-protesters at the Robert E. Lee statue in Charlottesville, VA (credit to Alejandro Alvarez/News2Share via Reuters)

Officials in Charlottesville, Virginia have declared a state of emergency ahead of an upcoming march set by white nationalists.

The march will serve as a protest against the removal of a statue of the famous confederate general, Robert E. Lee.

A group or protesters gather around a statue of Confederate general Robert E. Lee (credit to Geddy Images).

Lee was the head commander of the Confederate Army during the American Civil War.

The protests have sparked controversy over the behavior of the white nationalist group, "Unite the Right" and its supporters.

On Friday, the group marched through the city, including marching through the University of Virginia.

The group waved torches while chanting "White lives matter". The mayor of Charlottesville, Mike Signer called the march "a parade of hatred".

According to BBC reporter Joel Gunter in Charlottesville, "police have not yet interrupted clashes between the rival demonstators...it had been 'extremely violent' so far."

A police car amongst the damaged property following the "extremely violent" actions during the protests (credit to Preston Willett of WCAV).

On Twitter, Gunter posted, "Police declaring an unlawful assembly at Emancipation Park, ordering people to leave or risk arrest. Hardcore alt-right holding position."

NBC News reported the opposing protesters who support the removal of the confederate statue "stood in a line singing, 'This Little Light of Mine,' to drown out profanity and slurs".

There have been reports of intense back-and-forth amongst the opposing sides.

These including the chants of "You will not replace us!", referring to the white nationalist group shouting to the interracial, diverse opposing group, and opposing "No Trump, No KKK, No Fascist USA!" chants.

Alt-Right protesters seemingly do a Nazi salute during the Charlottesville protests Friday evening (credit to Mykal McEldowney of the IndyStar via the USA TODAY Network).

The intense conflict lead Democratic governor Terry McAuliffe to declare a state of emergency ahead of Saturday's "Unite the Right" rally.

On Twitter, McAuliffe posted "[I have] declared a state of emergency to aid state response to violence at Alt-Right rally in Charlottesville."

Tweets from Democratic governor Terry McAuliffe following the protests (credit to @GovernorVA on Twitter)

Republican Utah Senator Orrin Hatch posted on Twitter, "[The Alt-Right group's] tiki torches may be fueled by citronella but their ideas are fueled by hate, & have no place in civil society."

Republican Senator Orrin Hatch's tweet regarding the Charlottesville protests (credit to CNN and @senorrinhatch on Twitter).

There is much anxiety ahead of Saturday's protests following the reports, images and videos posted of violent encounters following Friday evening's activities.

Hopefully, with the state of emergency declared, the intense atmosphere surrounding this confederate statue will only fuel the debate vocally and not physically.

The intensity of the Charlottesville protests, as seen here, could make locals and (inter)national bystanders uneasy (credit to Samuel Corum/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images).

Stay tuned for further details and developments.