A neo-Nazi group protested in downtown Madison Saturday afternoon from the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus to the state capitol building, carrying flags with swastikas and shouting antisemitic rhetoric.
The group of about 20 wore shirts labeled “Blood Tribe,” which is a growing neo-Nazi group that believes in white supremacy, according to the Anti-Defamation League. The Madison Police Department is monitoring the situation, the department said in a Facebook post. No weapons have been displayed, and “many have called 911” to report the group.
“The Madison Police Department does not support hateful rhetoric. The department has an obligation to protect First Amendment rights of all,” the Facebook post reads.
The neo-Nazi group chanted "Israel is not our friend," according to social media posts, made threatening statements and shouted racial slurs at bystanders, but there were no reports of physical violence connected to the event.
The protest comes as the Israel-Hamas war stretches into its second month and tensions continue to rise in the United States — including in Madison.
Earlier this month, students supporting both Palestine and Israel held counter-protests and were separated by the UW-Madison Police Department. Madison Police opened an investigation into an incident on Nov. 7 after a group of students reported that a rock was thrown at them from a State Street building following a vigil supporting Israel.
Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway told the Cap Times Saturday that “Madison does not want or welcome hate groups like the one that invaded our community today.”
“I know how disturbing it was to see Nazi symbols openly displayed on our streets. Please know that the Madison Police Department was closely tracking their activities, and was prepared to intervene if needed,” Rhodes-Conway said. “This group and others like it are trying to normalize hatred, racism and antisemitism. We must not let them succeed. Hate has no home in Madison, and we must not let it take root here.”
“Together, we can continue to build a strong community with strong democratic institutions that respects First Amendment rights while embracing and valuing diversity,” she added.
The neo-Nazi group stopped at the Gates of Heaven synagogue on Gorham Street, which is the oldest synagogue building in Madison and the fourth oldest surviving synagogue building in the nation, according to the city. Madison Police officers can be seen in videos posted to social media monitoring the situation from bicycles.
This is not the Blood Tribe’s first protest in Wisconsin. In July, 14 individuals associated with the group protested at a Pride event in Watertown, 40 miles east of Madison. That protest featured many similarities to Saturday’s in Madison, with the group performing the "sieg heil" or Hitler salute, and making threatening comments.
David Goldenberg, regional director for Anti-Defamation League Midwest, said the group was in contact with the Madison Police Department, the mayor's office and leadership at UW-Madison Hillel.
He called on state, local and university leaders to develop "comprehensive strategies" to combat antisemitism.
"The presence of neo-Nazis outside a synagogue and in front of Wisconsin’s state capitol today is deplorable and understandably increases the anxiety and concern many in the community are feeling," Goldenberg said in a statement.
UW-Madison Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin said in a statement the university was not made aware of the event but added that campus police were monitoring the activity.
Mnookin called the demonstration “utterly repugnant” and said the university strongly rejected their presence and would offer support to students.
“I am horrified to see these symbols here in Madison,” Mnookin said. “Hatred and antisemitism are completely counter to the university’s values, and the safety and well-being of our community must be our highest priorities.”
State Rep. Lisa Subeck, D-Madison, who is Jewish, said the incident was alarming in light of a rising number of antisemitic incidents, both in Wisconsin and across the country.
“It’s really important that the Madison community stand strong and say ‘We don’t accept that here in our city and we are better than that,’” she said in an interview.
Subeck added that while there is no legislative solution to Saturday’s demonstration, she stressed the importance of better educating young people about the Holocaust and genocide more broadly.
“Those are the sorts of things that in the big picture, in the long term help to break down prejudice and antisemitism,” Subeck said.
Gov. Tony Evers said in a statement that “neo-Nazis, antisemitism, and white supremacy have no home in Wisconsin,” called the march “repulsive and disgusting,” adding that he condemned it in the strongest terms.
“To see neo-Nazis marching in our streets and neighborhoods and in the shadow of our State Capitol building spreading their disturbing, hateful messages is truly revolting,” Evers said.
U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin of Madison echoed a similar sentiment, saying on X (formerly Twitter) that the protest “has no place in Wisconsin.”
“At a time when we are seeing disturbing spikes in antisemitism, it is more important than ever to denounce this hate in no uncertain terms,” Baldwin said.
