Story highlights The chant of "blood and soil" invokes a Nazi philosophy

It glorified those with German heritage who tended the land

(CNN) Some white nationalists and right-wing protesters who have converged on Charlottesville, Virginia, have been using a Nazi rallying cry.

Video shows some of the protesters shouting "blood and soil," a phrase invoking the Nazi philosophy of "Blut und Boden." The ideology stressed that ethnic identity is based on only blood descent and the territory in which an individual lives -- and it celebrated rural farmers and peasants as virtuous Germans.

The group gathered to protest Charlottesville's plan to remove relics of its Confederate past, such as a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee.

The "blood and soil" chants began Friday night when torch-bearing protesters marched at the University of Virginia and clashed with counterprotesters. More white nationalist protesters continued the cries during Saturday's gatherings.

Protesters march to Emancipation Park, chanting "blood and soil". #Charlottesville pic.twitter.com/fzT0QQ6szq — ACLU of Virginia (@ACLUVA) August 12, 2017

The phrase dates to the earliest days of Nazi propaganda.

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