Opponents of Virginia's Republican candidate for governor, a right-wing extremist, went to his rally pretending to be his supporters,

While swinging the torches that rightwing extremists carried violent rally in 2017.

It is valid to try to tie right-wing extremists to recent past acts of violent right-wing extremism, but this way of doing it was wrong and foolish.

It is wrong because it can have the effect of a false-flag attack. The Republican candidate denounced it as one, and that was easy to do because the difference was small. If you're going to criticize someone through a comparison, you must show clearly and visibly that it is a comparison rather than a falsehood.

Second, it could easily backfire by winning the Republican candidate more support from white supremacists.