Neo-Nazis marched in Madison on Saturday. Here’s what happened — and what didn’t.

MADISON — A group of nearly two dozen neo-Nazis waving swastika flags and chanting antisemitic rhetoric marched in downtown Madison and on the Wisconsin state Capitol grounds Saturday.

Here are the facts about what happened.

What did the neo-Nazi group do during the march?

The group marched up Madison's iconic pedestrian thoroughfare State Street that connects the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus with the Capitol Square.

They stopped outside the statehouse near the building's south entrance about noon Saturday, where they remained for about 30 minutes before marching toward a nearby Madison park.

Group members chanted "Israel is not our friend," threatened "there will be blood" and shouted racial slurs at bystanders while marching.

What is the 'Blood Tribe' group?

Demonstrators at Saturday’s march were part of the "Blood Tribe,” a right-wing, neo-Nazi group with hardline white supremacist views.

The Blood Tribe became a membership organization in 2021 and claims to have chapters across the United States and Canada, according to the Anti-Defamation League. The group "openly directs its vitriol at Jews, 'non-whites' and the LGBTQ+ community.”

The group led demonstrations nationwide in 2023, including a hateful protest at a July “Pride in the Park” event in Watertown. Neo-Nazis brandished rifles, displayed swastikas and hurled homophobic slurs and threats at LGBTQ+ people during the event.

I saw social media posts saying the group was affiliated with Antifa. Is that true?

No. There is currently no evidence to support claims the neo-Nazi group was associated with left-wing anti-fascist group Antifa, as some social media replies suggested.

This is a common falsehood used to divert blame at events led by white supremacists and right-wing extremists, including the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.

Additionally, there is no available evidence the group consisted of federal agents, or “the feds,” as some users claimed on social media.

Who led Saturday’s demonstration?

Christopher Pohlhaus, nicknamed “Hammer,” is the Blood Tribe’s leader and a former U.S. Marine. Pohlhaus was one of two unmasked figures at Saturday’s neo-Nazi march.

Pohlhaus, originally from Texas, founded the group in 2021, according to the ADL. He was present at other Blood Tribe neo-Nazi events in 2023.

In 2022, Pohlhaus purchased 10 acres of land in Maine to construct a white supremacist encampment. The Bangor Daily News reported Pohlhaus sold the land in October due to public pressure, but Pohlhaus said he owned larger plots elsewhere in the state.

Were the demonstrators from Madison?

It’s impossible to say for sure, but available evidence suggests the group came from outside the city.

Pictures posted to Twitter showed the group leaving in a U-Haul and SUV after the rally near a park on Madison’s east side. The SUV had a Kentucky license plate.

Pohlhaus, the group’s leader, resided in Maine as of October 2023.

Was the group armed?

One member of the group appeared armed with a knife but the others at Saturday's march weren't visibly armed. Group members could have carried concealed weapons.

Members of the Blood Tribe have brandished rifles at past events, including the July “Pride in the Park” event in Watertown.

Why didn’t the police stop the neo-Nazis?

The neo-Nazi group demonstrated lawfully, according to the Madison Police Department.

"Whether you believe that's what this group is doing or not, it's First Amendment rights," said Stephanie Fryer, Madison police spokeswoman.Fryer said Madison police officers on bikes were dispatched to determine the group's purpose for marching.

The department condemned the neo-Nazi group’s hateful rhetoric in a Facebook post Saturday.

Did they stop in front of a synagogue?

Yes. Videos posted to social media showed the neo-Nazi group stopped in front of a local synagogue, Gates of Heaven.

Gates of Heaven is the fourth-oldest surviving synagogue building in the United States. The building is currently owned by the City of Madison and has fallen out of active use as a synagogue, according to the city's website and a Jewish Federation of Madison webpage.

Did the group march on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus?

Yes, very briefly, according to a Snapchat story, though the majority of the march took place off campus.

Jennifer Mnookin, the university's chancellor, condemned the group and called their presence in Madison “utterly repugnant” in a statement Saturday.

Is the group affiliated with recent pro-Palestine or pro-Israel demonstrations?

It's highly unlikely, given their identity as a white supremacist neo-Nazi group.

There is no current evidence tying the Blood Tribe's march in Madison to pro-Israel or pro-Palestine groups.

What did Jewish community leaders say about the event?

Rabbi Bonnie Margulis, executive director of Wisconsin Faith Voices for Justice, said people living in Madison sometimes have a false sense of security given its reputation as a progressive enclave.

"We're living in very, very scary times," Margulis told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "The American Jewish community is very scared right now, as is the Muslim community and the Sikh community. … There's no place that we feel safe."

Both Margulis and her husband, Rabbi Jonathan Biatch of Madison's Temple Beth El, encouraged people to "lead with love" and reach out to friends and neighbors in marginalized communities who are likely "feeling very alone and very isolated."

Tyler Katzenberger's reporting is supported by the Poynter and Google News Initiative Misinformation Student Fellowship Program.

Jessie Opoien of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Neo-Nazis marched in Madison on Saturday. Here’s what happened