White nationalists have returned to Charlottesville, in an unannounced tiki-torch rally led by Richard Spencer at the foot of the shrouded Robert E. Lee statue whose impending removal has sparked tensions.

There were no reports of violence at the brief Saturday night event in the Virginia college town, in stark contrast to the August protest there that devolved into violent clashes and left one dead.

Dozens of men wearing white collared shirts and khakis chanted 'you will not replace us' and 'The South will rise again; Russia is our friend' at the base of the Confederate general's statue, which the city has covered in a black shroud.

The participants directed another mocking chant, 'Harry Potter isn't real', at a handful of protesters who began shouting at them in disagreement.

Spencer and Mike Peinovich, another leader of the self-described 'alt-right', gave brief addresses to the crowd as police looked on.

Richard Spencer led a surprise tiki-torch march on the shrouded Robert E Lee statue in Charlottesville on Saturday night. Spencer is pictured at a conference in February

Dozens of men wearing white collared shirts and khakis chanted 'you will not replace us' and 'The South will rise again; Russia is our friend'

'Charlottesville, your city has become symbolic for the oppression of speech,' said Spencer, in remarks captured by video.

'Your city has become symbolic for the tearing down of the symbols of the history of this nation, the history of our people - of white people of Virginia, of the South and of the entire United States,' Spencer continued.

Spencer said that the group had 'come in peace' and would continue to return to spread their message in the city.

'We care about who we are not just as Virginians, not just as Southerners but as white people,' Spencer said. 'You're going to have to get used to the alt-right, you're going to have to get used to white identity.'

Local reports estimated the size of the rally at about three dozen participants, who gathered in what it now called Emancipation Park.

The police presence was sizable but there were no reports of arrests or detentions.

Spencer (center) and Mike Peinovich addressed the rally for several minutes before dispersing

The white nationalist leader Spencer was surrounded by a tight cordon of security men

Charlottesville's mayor responded to the event in disgust, and hinted that the city was exploring ways to ban future assemblies of the kind.

'Another despicable visit by neo-Nazi cowards. You’re not welcome here! Go home! Meantime we’re looking at all our legal options. Stay tuned,' Democrat Mike Singer wrote in a tweet.

Vice Mayor Wes Bellamy went further, threatening to seek prosecution of Spencer under a state law that prohibits burning objects in public 'in a manner having a direct tendency to place another person in reasonable fear or apprehension of death or bodily injury'.

'When White Supremacists Make odes to White Power, and clearly use torches to send a message to our community that they are the superior race while trying to strike fear and intimidate others, they are breaking the law,' Bellamy wrote in a Facebook post, offering his interpretation of the statute.

'I’m calling on our Commonwealth Attorney, Dave Chapman, to enforce this state code, and prosecute the individuals who participated in the torch burning tonight,' he continued.

Charlottesville's mayor responded to the Saturday event in disgust, and hinted that the city was exploring ways to ban future assemblies of the kind

Spencer clapped back in a tweet of his own, warning Singer there was no way to block protests

The Democratic candidate for Virginia governor, Ralph Northam, issued a statement blaming the brief event on President Donald Trump.

'Donald Trump's equivocation enabled this to happen again,' he said. 'There is no home, no place, no safe harbor in the country I pledged to defend for the ugly hatred we saw in Charlottesville tonight.'

Charlottesville was the scene of clashes that shocked the nation in August. White nationalists had planned a day of speeches, which were shut down by the governor's order.

The event turned violent when white nationalists clashed with antifa and other counter-protesters.

A right-wing protester was charged with murder after a car struck a crowd of left-wing protesters, leaving 19 injured and one woman dead.