A white nationalist who organised the rally in Charlottesville has vowed to carry on protesting, despite the violent clashes which left one person dead and 35 injured.

Richard Spencer, who heads up the white nationalist National Policy Institute, told the Daily Mail that he had “the will to win” in the battle not to pull down the statue of a Confederate General, Robert E Lee.

“We’re going to be back here and we’re going to humiliate all of these people who opposed us," he said. “We’ll be back here 100 times if necessary. I always win. Because I have the will to win, I keep going until I win.”

Mr Spencer took to Twitter to blame the Mayor of Charlottesville, Mike Signer, for the violence. He said the attempt to halt the protest was an attack on free speech, and claimed that “Charlottesville was a total set-up”.

Mr Spencer is a leading figurehead in America’s white nationalist movement and attracted worldwide attention after he chanted “Heil Trump” during a presidential election campaign speech in 2016. Some members of the audience responded with Nazi salutes.

The doctor’s son has claimed he invented the term “alt-right” which he considers to be a term about white identity rather than white supremacy.

A graduate of the University of Virginia, he has called for “peaceful ethnic cleansing” to stop what he calls the “deconstruction” of European cultures.

His promise flies in the face of the instruction from Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe, who told the white nationalists to “go home” after they descended on the usually quiet university town in droves.

“You are not wanted n this great commonwealth,” Mr McAuliffe told the protesters, who included members of the Klu Klux Klan as well as neo-Nazi and so-called alt-right groups, who clashed with counter-protesters and police.

“You are not patriots. You came here today to hurt people and that is not patriotic. My message is clear that we are stronger than you. You will not succeed. There is no place for you here and there is no place for you in America.”

Heather Heyer, 32, was killed after a man slammed his car into the protesters before reversing at speed, flinging bodies into the air and leaving another 19 injured.

A 20-year-old, James Fields, has been charged with her murder.

Violence on the streets of Charlottesville Show all 9 1 /9 Violence on the streets of Charlottesville Violence on the streets of Charlottesville Protesters clash and several are injured White nationalist demonstrators clash with counter demonstrators at the entrance to Lee Park in Charlottesville, Virginia. A state of emergency is declared, August 12 2017 Violence on the streets of Charlottesville Trump supporters at the protest A white nationalist demonstrator walks into Lee Park in Charlottesville, Va., Saturday, Aug. 12, 2017. Hundreds of people chanted, threw punches, hurled water bottles and unleashed chemical sprays on each other Saturday after violence erupted at a white nationalist rally in Virginia. AP Photo Violence on the streets of Charlottesville State police stand ready in riot gear Virginia State Police cordon off an area around the site where a car ran into a group of protesters after a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia AP Photo Violence on the streets of Charlottesville Militia armed with assault rifles White nationalists, neo-Nazis and members of the 'alt-right' with body armor and combat weapons evacuate comrades who were pepper sprayed after the 'Unite the Right' rally was declared a unlawful gathering by Virginia State Police. Militia members marched through the city earlier in the day, armed with assault rifles. Getty Images Violence on the streets of Charlottesville Statue of Confederate General Robert E Lee The statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee stands behind a crowd of hundreds of white nationalists, neo-Nazis and members of the 'alt-right' during the 'Unite the Right' rally 12 August 2017 in Charlottesville, Virginia. They are protesting the removal of the statue from Emancipation Park in the city. Getty Images Violence on the streets of Charlottesville Racial tensions sparked the violence White nationalists, neo-Nazis and members of the 'alt-right' exchange insults with counter-protesters as they attempt to guard the entrance to Lee Park during the 'Unite the Right' rally Getty Violence on the streets of Charlottesville A car plows through protesters A vehicle drives into a group of protesters demonstrating against a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. The incident resulted in multiple injuries, some life-threatening, and one death. AP Photo Violence on the streets of Charlottesville Rescue personnel help injured people after a car ran into a large group of protesters after an white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia AP Photo Violence on the streets of Charlottesville President Donald Trump speaks about the ongoing situation in Charlottesville, Virginia from his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey. He spoke about "loyalty" and "healing wounds" left by decades of racism.

It followed ugly clashes with fist fights breaking out in the street and pepper spray released onto the fighting crowds.

Authorities eventually declared the protest an “unlawful gathering” and later announced a state of emergency.