(NewsWorthy.news) – Republican South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem has condemned a march by the neo-Nazi Blood Tribe group that took place in the state on June 8. The group unfurled a Nazi flag on the steps of the state’s Capitol Building during the march, according to local media reports. Noem stated on social media that Highway Patrol officers escorted the group off the premises due to them marching without a permit.
Noem wrote on X that Nazis are “not welcome” in South Dakota, stressing the sacrifices made by generations of Americans in the fight for the “Freedom of all”, in reference to the 80th anniversary of D-Day. Blood Tribe leader Christopher Pohlhaus responded to Noem, stating that his organization’s members occupied the steps for the “entire time” they planned to be there, and claimed that they “slowly swaggered” off the premises to chant on a lap around the governor’s house.
Department of Public Safety spokesperson Brad Reiners told reporters that the group’s rally indeed took place but claimed they had no permit to organize it. Republican South Dakota Representative Will Mortenson, who is the State House Majority Leader, also stressed that Neo-Nazis are not welcome in the state, commenting that he did not know what rock they had “crawled out from under”.
In February 2024 members of the public confronted the Blood Tribe organization when it marched in Nashville, Tennessee. The state’s lawmakers likewise condemned the march, and the group carried swastika flags at both marches. The Anti-Defamation League describes Polhaus as a “former US Marine turned tattoo artist” and a “white supremacist”. According to the ADL, Blood Tribe started organizing protests in response to the LGBTQ+ movement.
Reiners claimed that the group immediately followed the orders by highway patrol officers to disperse. He added that no charges had been filed regarding the march. The group wears masks and red and black clothing at its rallies, and has organized demonstrations since March 2023.
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