Officials in Columbus, Ohio, blasted a parade of masked people who marched down the streets with swastika flags Saturday afternoon.

Summary

Masked neo-Nazis marched through Columbus, Ohio’s Short North neighborhood on Saturday, displaying swastika flags and making racist and antisemitic statements.

Police are investigating, and no arrests have been reported.

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine and Columbus officials condemned the display, emphasizing that hate and bigotry have no place in the state.

The incident follows a similar demonstration in Michigan last week, where masked protesters displayed Nazi flags outside a performance of The Diary of Anne Frank.

      • ShepherdPie@midwest.social
        52·
        6 days ago

        Ah, maybe the police were stopping them to pick up their coworkers from out of the van so that they could start their shift.

      • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
        11·
        6 days ago

        I won’t believe this story has a happy ending until they’re in prison. Because I have a feeling they’re about to get a huge amount of help from the incoming administration.

        • 418_im_a_teapot@lemmy.world
          3·
          6 days ago

          That will depend on whether they face state or federal charges. I’m curious if they will be charged at all if the only thing they did was “protest”.

          • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
            5·
            6 days ago

            It will depend a lot more on whether or not the fascist dictatorship coming into office in January gives a shit about state charges being out of their legal jurisdiction.

            I’m betting on not.

            • Kalothar@lemmy.ca
              3·
              6 days ago

              Yeah, people are basically sticking their heads in the dirt with what’s about to happen in the US.

              Source: I live in Ohio and the apathy is palpable. I’m in a Blue bubble, but I even when I go to some small town you can tell everyone is just too burnout from the freight train of nonstop crazy politics stuff.

              • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
                4·
                6 days ago

                People really want to believe Trump won’t be a fascist dictator despite coming right out and saying he will be. I know he lies all the time, but that’s a stupid reason not to believe him on this one.

      • quirzle@lemmy.zipEnglish
        17·
        6 days ago

        This picture is top of the Columbus subreddit from yesterday, so doesn’t seem like it’s from a previous occurrence.

        • Ben Hur Horse Race@lemm.ee
          15·
          6 days ago

          Reddit is not a reliable source for verified facts in any way, at any time, at all.

          I can nearly swear I remember this photo from the last trump administration.

          • quirzle@lemmy.zipEnglish
            13·
            6 days ago

            Ah, I forgot to consult the internet’s most reliable source for verified facts: random dude who sears he remembers somethings.

            Given the details of the post with multiple photos, it’s plausible reddit’s the source of the image. I wasn’t able to find an older posting of it, but by all means share your link from 4+ years ago if you’ve got t.

            • nexas_XIII@lemm.ee
              11·
              6 days ago

              They’re not entirely wrong though. Remember how Reddit “caught” the Boston marathon bomber?

              • quirzle@lemmy.zipEnglish
                12·
                6 days ago

                I think they *are *entirely wrong though. This thread’s about Nazis in Columbus and whether they were caught. I don’t think “I remember this from years ago, trust me bro” is a convincing reason to dismiss the photos. Neither is their having been posted in reddit, even if they fucked up an unrelated thing over a decade ago.

                Again, I’m happy to be disproven. If the image above was actually circulating years ago, it should be relatively easy to find it posted somewhere else prior to yesterday. I couldn’t find it, hence why I commented about it in the first place

                • nexas_XIII@lemm.ee
                  5·
                  6 days ago

                  I’m just addressing the fact that Reddit isn’t always correct and we should want more credible sources than random people submitting things online with no vetting. That’s where they aren’t entirely wrong. I’m not saying they’re right and their memory is a reason to believe this is incorrect, but they’re just some person online just like the Reddit user.

                  • quirzle@lemmy.zipEnglish
                    5·
                    6 days ago

                    I appreciate the thoughtful response, but I’m taint-deep in a lit review so I’m going to respond point by point to procrastinate.

                    I’m just addressing the fact that Reddit isn’t always correct

                    Nobody said reddit is always correct, so you trying to address that statement nobody made seems like a pointless strawman. He did say reddit isn’t reliable “in any way, at any time, at all.” I maintain that this isn’t right and that this specific instance, where a user has posted original content to a local forum, is one of the handful of things reddit still does well compared to the alternatives.

                    we should want more credible sources than random people submitting things online with no vetting

                    You were directly supporting the stance of someone who didn’t submit anything other than their own opinion. Considering it wrong because it’s on a specific site isn’t exactly better than considering it correct. His statement was very concrete, while my initially comment “doesn’t seem like it’s from a previous occurrence” was intended more to invite additional evidence (which should, again, be easily provided if that photo’s been circulating online for 4+ years).

                    they’re just some person online just like the Reddit user

                    They’re not just like the reddit user, as the reddit user posted an album of photos with a specific location that matches the story details. Considering that less compelling than “I can nearly swear I remember” is the sort of shit that makes people give up having good faith conversations.