Counter protesters rally against potential KKK march in Durham, North Carolina

Emily Bohatch | USA TODAY

City officials and police in Durham, N.C., say they are facing about 400 protesters who have gathered against what they thought could be a Ku Klux Klan march later Friday.

The move comes a week after a fatal clash in Charlottesville, Virginia, between white supremacists, neo-Nazis and counter protesters left the country shocked.

Rumors circulated through the college town that the Klan would be holding a rally in downtown Durham Friday afternoon, Durham Director of Public Affairs Beverly Thompson said. She added that the city has issued no permits for a protest or counter protest.

In a statement from the Durham County Sheriff's office, officials said they had not confirmed reports of Klan activity. News spread that the Klan would rally at 4 p.m., but the sheriff's office dispelled that rumor with a tweet.

"I want to continue urging residents to rely upon verified information to avoid circulating rumors that can put lives at risk," a sheriff's office statement said.

The counter protesters burned confederate and white supremacist flags and held an impromptu dance off. They carried signs reading "We will not be intimidated," "History will not repeat" and "Black Lives Matter."

The city closed off a portion of East Main Street in front of the old court house building where a confederate statue had been torn down Monday.

Earlier this week, a video of protesters toppling the statue went viral. Protesters put a rope around the statue’s neck, toppled the monument and began kicking it. The defacement was part of a rally in solidarity with Charlottesville, according to protesters. Eight were arrested by the Durham County Sheriff's office.

The statue's pedestal was defaced Friday, with the phrase "Death to the Klan" scrawled across it.

Friday's protest so far has been relatively peaceful, Thompson said. "As far as we know, there may have been a few little incidents but nothing major," she said.

A statue was vandalized at the chapel at Duke University, she added.

"We want to thank the Durham community for a peaceful demonstration," Durham County Sheriff Mike Andrews said in a statement. He added that the department was reviewing information about protests in the coming week.

Follow Bohatch on Twitter: @emilybohatch