CINCINNATI (WXIX/Gray News) – Ohio officials are responding to reports of a neo-Nazi group taking to the streets in Columbus on Saturday afternoon.
According to WSYXPosts began circulating on social media around 1 p.m., showing a dozen people marching. They wore clothes that were all black and masks with a red skull.
Police responded to the group, who walked through the Short North carrying flags with Nazi images such as the swastika.
Police also said the protesters were armed. According to reports, no arrests have been made.
Ohio Governor Mike DeWine and other state officials released statements denouncing the protesters.
“We will not tolerate hate in Ohio,” DeWine said in a statement. “Neo-Nazis – their faces hidden behind red masks – roamed the streets of Columbus today, holding Nazi flags and spewing vile and racist slurs against people of color and Jews.”
“There were reports that they also embraced white power sentiments,” the statement continued. “Hate, bigotry, anti-Semitism or violence have no place in the state, and we must denounce it when we encounter it.”
Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther also released a statement following the reports.
“The Columbus community stands in the face of hate and bigotry,” the statement said. “We will not allow our neighbors to be intimidated, threatened or harmed because of who they are, how they worship or who they love.”
“We embrace tolerance and acceptance and derive great strength from our diversity,” he continues. “It is who we are as a people, and it is exactly what has allowed us to grow and prosper and reach new heights of excellence. Together, we denounce the cowardly display reported earlier today in the Short North, and we will continue to monitor the situation in coordination with the Columbus Division of Police to ensure the safety of our city.
The incident is still under investigation.
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