A neo-Nazi turf war may have just flared in Columbus, Ohio. Jewish, Black and elected leaders won’t stand for it

Elected officials, Jewish advocacy groups and civil rights leaders are vowing to “push back” against the message of a White nationalist group that staged a march last week near downtown Columbus, Ohio, calling the demonstration an act of hate unwelcome in their community – and the United States more broadly.

Elected officials, Jewish advocacy groups and civil rights leaders are vowing to “push back” against the message of a White nationalist group that staged a march last week near downtown Columbus, Ohio, calling the demonstration an act of hate unwelcome in their community – and across the United States. Hate Club, a newly formed White supremacist organization tracked by the Anti-Defamation League, may have been engaging in a turf war when about a dozen members paraded Saturday through the Short North neighborhood wearing all black with red face masks, an executive of the anti-hate group told CNN. Some marchers carried black flags emblazoned with red swastikas, a notorious symbol of hate, antisemitism and White supremacy tracing to the murderous legacy of Germany’s Nazi Party and the Holocaust. At least one marcher yelled, “n***er,” again and again, according to a video of the march given to CNN affiliate WBNS that’s garnered online attention far beyond Ohio’s capital. The neo-Nazis deployed pepper spray, Columbus police said, citing video evidence and adding, “To date, probable cause has not been established to make any arrests.” Several concerned residents called police to report the demonstration, and anyone is invited to share videos or photos of it with investigators, police said. The daytime march – past a clothing boutique, a salon and a cookie bakery – erupted as events organized or attended by White supremacists in the United States hit a new high in 2023, the Anti-Defamation League reported. Public gatherings of White nationalists or people with Nazi flags have unfolded in recent years in Nashville, New Hampshire, Boston, Virginia, Michigan and Washington, DC.