https://t.co/FHadEY4hUJ pic.twitter.com/lV6Fpl5Ae7
— vituperativeerb (@vituperativeerb) November 26, 2024
Per the Columbus Dispatch, “Body cam footage: Neo-Nazis who marched in Short North claimed to be victims of violence”:
A group of neo-Nazis who marched through the Short North this month were not arrested because police determined they were not the aggressors in a fight that broke out, according to documents and video footage.
In body camera footage Columbus police released Monday, the neo-Nazis told police they had never experienced a response like the one they received in Columbus. They said people pulled guns on them and threw cans and vegetables as they marched, waved flags and yelled racial slurs. One of the officers noted the men were “covered in” pepper spray.
The Nov. 16 march drew stern condemnation from city hall to the White House, but no arrests were made. A group of Black men organized a counter-march the next day, following the same route in the Short North with a message of peace. In a statement, Columbus police previously said they could not find sufficient probable cause to file any charges against the neo-Nazis.
Police initially made contact with the neo-Nazis in a chaotic scene on a sidewalk near Goodale Park at about 1:15 p.m., according to a radio log printout from Columbus police. There the neo-Nazis, wearing black and red clothing and carrying black flags with red swastikas, told police they were leaving because they were under attack. In the background, bystanders shouted at them to take off their masks.
They told police they were marching because “our country is being invaded and white people are being ostracized.” While they refused to tell police where they lived, they referenced past marches in other cities.
Police said they’d received a report that they were spraying people with pepper spray and hair spray. The neo-Nazis said they were pepper sprayed first, and hadn’t instigated any violence. Footage previously obtained by the Dispatch showed one of the neo-Nazis spraying something in a person’s face, and 911 callers said the neo-Nazis had pepper sprayed people.
Several officers, including multiple Black officers, were present at the scene on the sidewalk. One Black officer tried to reason with the marchers, pointing out that they were bound to see confrontation from people for shouting hateful things.
“I definitely feel your First Amendment rights to say whatever nonsense this is, but c’mon, man,” the officer said. “The Buckeyes are playing. Man, come on.”…
A police report identified the group as “Hate Club 1844.” The driver is the only neo-Nazi named in the report. The others are identified only as about 10-11 unknown white men.
“We do this all over the U.S., and we’ve never been attacked like this, man,” the driver told police from his seat in the U-Haul.
Late Night Schadenfreude Open Thread: They Did Nazi That ComingPost + Comments (84)