A group of neo-Nazis in Madison, Wisconsin were seen and reportedly carrying flags with the swastikas. Around 20 people carried Nazi flags and walked up the Wisconsin State Capitol’s State Street in Madison, Wisconsin, before heading to James Madison Park for a neo-Nazi rally. The group, who calls themselves the Blood Tribe was condemned by Tony Evers, the Wisconsin State Governor. Evers stated that “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.” He also added that “neo-Nazis, antisemitism, and white supremacy have no home in Wisconsin.” The Anti-Defamation League has identified the Blood Tribe as a neo-Nazi faction. The University of Wisconsin-Madison condemned the presence of the group, calling it “utterly repugnant.” Wisconsin State Senator Tammy Baldwin and representatives Mark Pocan and Gwen Moore expressed their disapproval of the neo-Nazi demonstrations. An organization representing Jewish people in Milwaukee also addressed the matter. The group’s leader, Christopher Pohlhaus, and his followers intertwine their beliefs with Esoteric Hitlerism, viewing Adolf Hitler as a divine figure. The group’s ideology revolves around the normalization of Nazi symbolism and the establishment of a white supremacist state. Pohlhaus has been particularly vocal against other extremist groups, labeling them as enablers of ideologies they oppose.
