White supremacists returned to Charlottesville, Virginia on Saturday, rallying in the same place where a woman was killed in violent clashes after being mowed down by a car less than two months ago.

With torches in hand, the group led by far-right figurehead Richard Spencer and blogger Jason Kessler gathered in Emancipation Park, where neo-Nazis had rallied in August to protest the removal of a statue of Confederate General Robert E Lee.

NBC reported that there were as many as 30 protesters in the park surrounding the statue, which has been covered after its removal was blocked by a court pending the outcome of a legal challenge.

Mr Spencer posted a video on Twitter showing the protest, in which opponents of the removal of Lee’s statue could be heard chanting: “You will not replace us” and “We will be back”.

Charlottesville’s mayor, Mike Signer, fired back with angry response, tweeting to Spencer to “go home”.

“Another despicable visit by neo-Nazi cowards. You are not welcome here!” Mr Signer tweeted, adding: “We’re looking at all our legal options. Stay tuned.”

Mr Spencer disregarded the warning, tweeting back to the mayor: “It was great to be back in C’ville. We can catch up next time we’re in town.”

He also posted a video to Twitter following Saturday’s protest, calling it a “success”.

“Charlottesville 3.0 was a great success. It was a lot of fun,” he said. “We came, we triggered, we left.” He added that there were “no injuries, no major confrontations”.

Earliest this week, activists in the Virginia town claimed to have chased Mr Kessler, who helped organise August’s deadly rally, out of a city council meeting.

The right-wing blogger had signed up to speak at a town meeting, but a city council member told The Independent that when his name was called out, someone in the audience shouted: “We chased him out of town!”

“We found him and his friends and we chased him out of town tonight," another alleged. "That’s why he’s not in this room right now."

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.

The council member said the room erupted in applause, with official saying: “That’s appreciated” through his microphone.

An August rally organised to protest the removal of the Lee statue turned deadly when counter-protester Heather Heyer, 32, was killed by a car driven into a crowd.

The violence stemmed from a heated national debate over whether Confederate statues memorialising past leaders and dead soldiers served to invoke white supremacy and the Confederacy’s acceptance of the enslavement of black people.