Columbus leaders express outrage after Nazi march in Short North on Saturday

Area leaders expressed outrage after a group of neo-Nazis marched through several Columbus neighborhoods Saturday afternoon.

The march started in the Short North. A Columbus police dispatcher said they received the first call just before 1:15 p.m.

Social media posts showed a group of about a dozen black-clad individuals with covered faces carrying black flags with red swastikas on North High Street in the Short North. One had a megaphone.

The Columbus Dispatch reported that the group used slurs against people of color and shouted about Jewish people and white power.

A police dispatcher Saturday night said the group then went to Goodale Park.

A Reddit post before 3 p.m. showed Columbus police handcuffing a man clad in a black shirt at the on-ramp to state Route 315 from Goodale Boulevard.

The dispatcher Saturday night said there were no arrests.

Columbus leaders condemned the group's actions on social media.

Columbus City Council President Shannon Hardin posted on X: "I’ve been in touch with law enforcement about Nazis marching through the City. I’m sorry the President-elect has emboldened these creeps. This community rejects their pathetic efforts to promote fear and hate. Columbus will always stand with those they seek to intimidate."

"The Columbus community stands squarely against hate and bigotry," Columbus Mayor Andrew J. Ginther said in a statement on X. "We will not allow any of our neighbors to be intimidated, threatened, or harmed because of who they worship or whom they love."

Ginther went on to say: "Together, we reject the cowardly display reported in the Short North earlier today, and we will continue to monitor the situation in partnership with the Columbus Division of Police to ensure the safety and security of our city."

Columbus City Attorney Zach Klein said on X: "Displays of neo-Nazi hate have no home in Columbus. This is not who we are, and we will not tolerate or normalize this disgusting ideology in any form."

He said he would continue to monitor the hate group's actions.

"Take your flags and the masks you hide behind and go home and never come back," he aid. "You hate isn't welcome in our city.

"I stand with our Jewish friends and all those who continue to be targeted by bias and hate. "I've always have your back."