A man was fired from his job after a photo of him at the deadly Charlottesville white-supremacist rally went viral

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August 14, 2017 3:32 PM

Top Dog, a restaurant in Berkeley, California, said it fired Cole White after online vigilantes named him as a participant in the white-nationalist rally.

White nationalists who participated in the deadly rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, over the weekend are being identified on social media, and at least one man has lost his job as a result.

Top Dog, a hot-dog restaurant in Berkeley, California, said it fired Cole White on Saturday after he was named by a Twitter account devoted to outing rally participants.

"Effective Saturday 12th August, Cole White no longer works at Top Dog," read a sign posted outside the restaurant on Sunday. "The actions of those in Charlottesville are not supported by Top Dog. We believe in individual freedom and voluntary association for everyone."

The Twitter account that identified White, @YesYoureRacist, is encouraging the public to help identify other attendees shown in photos.

Peter Cvjetanovic, 20, was also identified in a photo from the white-nationalist march at the University of Virginia on Friday night and later defended himself in an interview with a Las Vegas TV station.

"As a white nationalist, I care for all people," he told Channel 2 News. "We all deserve a future for our children and for our culture. White nationalists aren't all hateful; we just want to preserve what we have."

In the photo, Cvjetanovic is holding a torch and shouting. He said he understood the photo had a "very negative connotation."

Few other businesses have weighed in on the rally, though Tiki Brand, the company that makes tiki torches, issued a statement on its Facebook page Saturday after white nationalists used its torches at Friday's march.

"Tiki Brand is not associated in any way with the events that took place in Charlottesville and are deeply saddened and disappointed," the statement read. "We do not support their message or the use of our products in this way. Our products are designed to enhance backyard gatherings and to help family and friends connect with each other at home in their yard."

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