Masked men march through Ohio’s capital with swastika flags

Masked men marched through the streets of the Short North neighborhood in Columbus, Ohio, holding black flags with red swastikas on Saturday afternoon.

One video showed the masked men chanting “non-white parasites,” and shouting that “Jews are a cancer.”

“White brains are bigger, bow down n*****,” another video appeared to show them shouting.

נאצים רעולי פנים הניפו דגלים עם צלב קרס - וצעדו בהפגנתיות לאור יום ברחובות העיר קולמבוס באוהיו
(צילום: Breaking911) pic.twitter.com/BD8zDnuudC
— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) November 17, 2024

Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther responded to the marchers on 𝕏, saying that “the Columbus community stands squarely against hatred and bigotry.”

“Together, we reject the cowardly display reported in the Short North earlier today, and we will continue to monitor the situation in partnership with the Columbus Division of Police to ensure the safety and security of our city,” the statement concluded.

Ohio Republican Governor Mike DeWine also released a statement, condemning the “Neo-Nazis…carrying Nazi flags and spewing vile and racist speech against people of color and Jews.”

“There is no place in this State for hate, bigotry, antisemitism, or violence, and we must denounce it wherever we see it,” he said.

The organizers of the march have yet to be identified.

Some attributed the event to the victory of President-elect Donald Trump, despite Trump’s consistent opposition to neo-Nazi and white nationalist ideologies.

Among such critics was the president of Columbus’ city council, Shannon Hardin.

“I’m sorry the President-elect has emboldened these creeps,” Hardin wrote. “This community rejects their pathetic efforts to promote fear and hate.”

Throughout the presidential campaign, top Democrats likewise accused Trump of being sympathetic to white nationalists and neo-Nazis.

In a rally for Vice President Kamala Harris, former President Barack Obama accused Trump of saying that “there were very fine people on both sides of a white supremacist rally,” referencing a rally in Charlottesville, Virginia in 2017.

In reality, Trump condemned the neo-Nazis and white nationalists at the rally.

After saying there were “very fine people” both supporting and opposing the removal of a statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee, Trump explicitly clarified what he meant.

“I’m not talking about the neo-Nazis and the white nationalists, because they should be condemned totally,” he said.