The alt-right groups have indicated that they will have as many as a thousand protesters at the park.

Local chapters of Showing Up for Racial Justice and Black Lives Matter posted calls on social media for others to join them in counter-protest. Congregate Charlottesville, a multi-denominational clergy group, made a call for 1,000 clergy, especially white clergy, to attend the rally in protest.

Officials have declined to release a crowd estimate, but figures bandied about range from 2,000 to 8,000.

Other First Amendment experts say the city has the right to protect public safety by restricting the rally’s location.

Local attorney Lloyd Snook said the city could look to the history of the organizations taking out the permit as reasons for relocation or even denial of a permit.

“The city is certainly able to make its own determination that the alt-right events tend to have violence that is not issued on them by others,” he said. “If someone is standing there about to light a bomb, you don’t have to wait until the bomb goes off to declare a safety issue.”