On the morning of Saturday, November 18 in downtown Madison, a group of neo-Nazis marched down State Street to the State Capitol and then to James Madison Park. The group has been identified as the Blood Tribe, an all male group that idealizes hyper-masculinity, nazism, and the establishment of a white supremacist state. They wore red clothing, black face masks, and held black flags with white swastikas embroidered. They also performed the Hitler salute, and chanted threatening slogans like, “there will be blood.” 

Many state officials have responded with utter disgust including Governor Tony Evers, Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway, Senator Tammy Baldwin, and Representative Mark Pocan. The Chancellor of UW-Madison also put out a statement condemning the act of “hatred and antisemitism.” No arrests were made due to there being no physical violence or weapons. 

The incident is not a complete surprise. According to the Anti-Defamation League, antisemitic incidents have increased by about 400 percent in the past year, and a whopping 900 percent on college campuses. Since the beginning of the war between Israel and Hamas, that figure has increased even more. Therefore, it is not a complete surprise that neo-Nazis were seen walking down State Street, although it is still horrifying.