Lawmakers speak out after Nazi group marches through Nashville
By Danica Sauter and Jordan James
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NASHVILLE, Tennessee (WSMV) — A group carrying what looks like Nazi flags marched and rallied in Downtown Nashville on Saturday afternoon.
The group was spotted on Broadway at the State Capitol and near Public Square Park.
State Representatives Aftyn Behn and Justin Jones responded to the rally by taking to X, formerly known as Twitter, to voice their concerns.
Behn said their office is closely monitoring the rally downtown.
“These groups, once relegated to the dark corners, now feel empowered to spew their noxious ideology out in the open due to our state’s leadership refusing to condemn their speech and actions,” Behn said in a tweet.
Jones said he came across the group after leaving an event honoring a Black sorority.
“Spoke of the need to unite against the rising tide of white supremacy, only to be confronted by Nazis marching through Downtown Nashville,” Jones said in a tweet. “This is exactly what my Republican colleague’s hate speech is fostering and inviting.”
The group is believed to be associated with the Blood Tribe, a neo-Nazi group founded by former Marine, Christopher Pohlhaus, according to the Anti-Defamation League. The group has chapters in Canada and the United States.
Governor Bill Lee condemned the group in a statement posted to his accounts on Saturday.
NBC News reported the group of men left the greater Nashville area in a U-Haul box truck, possibly indicating they were from out of town.
Rep. Jones will address the incident and what he views as a “growing threat of white supremacy,” along with several pastors during a press conference outside the Tennessee Capitol building on Monday at 12:30 p.m.
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