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.

  • wipeout69@lemmy.world
    2·
    1 month ago

    It’s horrible and racist but at least there is free speech. It’s too bad we can’t have free speech without this sort of thing. Perhaps one day people will become kinder and less racist. It scares me but the alternative of no free speech scares me more.

    • LANIK2000@lemmy.world
      8·
      1 month ago

      I mean this is less of a free speech issue and more of a lack of information and education issue coupled with foreign disinformation campaigns. And specifically for America, also a societal isolation issue. Americans outside downtown rarely get any human contact and it shows, as trust between neighbors deteriorates. This sort of stuff is far less prevalent in countries that put more value in education and building communities.

    • timeeeee@midwest.socialEnglish
      4·
      1 month ago

      … that said I think there’s a huge difference between suggesting that this kind of thing be made illegal, and criticizing people with power and influence (including politicians) for actively encouraging it and benefiting from it

      • wipeout69@lemmy.world
        1·
        1 month ago

        i’m jewish and gay… and more scared of totalitarian “benevolent” governments than nazis. at least nazis let you die. benevolent governments think your thoughts and existence are property of the state.

          • wipeout69@lemmy.world
            1·
            1 month ago

            thanks, i’ll probably need it at the current trajectory that the US is on. if i am wrong and being executed by a hoard of Nazis/neo-conservatives in the future, i’ll think of you and realize you were right and i was wrong.

    • BruceTwarzen@lemm.ee
      1·
      1 month ago

      Do you realise that other developed countries have free speech too but no nazis on the street? We might no have in our brainwash hymn how free and brave we are, but we are.