I came home yesterday from a romantic ramble down the Upper Minnesota River Valley to Lac Qui Parle State Park to learn of neo-Nazi rallies here in South Dakota.
Here's the Anti-Defamation League's backgrounder on Blood Tribe.
At the Argus Leader, Dominik Dausch reported in Neo-Nazi group Blood Tribe claims responsibility for swastika displays in Pierre, Deadwood:
A group of extremists unfurled a Nazi flag during an apparent rally Saturday on the steps of South Dakota's state capitol building in Pierre
Pictures taken by onlookers and shared on social media depict a group of at least 15 individuals wearing red shirts, black masks and black pants standing in front of the capitol entrance, with three Nazi supporters holding the flag.
Christopher Pohlhaus, leader of Blood Tribe, a neo-Nazi group, claimed his members were responsible for the display in a hostile response to South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem's statement on the situation. . . .
According to the Anti-Defamation League, the Blood Tribe is a neo-Nazi group which depicts itself as a hardcore white supremacist group and reveres Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler as a deity.
In the Dakota Scout article 'Blood Tribe' leader claims responsibility for neo-Nazi rallies in Pierre, Deadwood, Austin Goss reported:
. . In giving his account of events, Pohlhaus posted anti-semitic language about House Bill 1076, a bill passed by the state Legislature in 2024 and championed by Gov. Kristi Noem which will define anti-semitism in state law and is intended to prevent that type of workplace discrimination in South Dakota. He also took aim at state officials who disavowed the protests. . . .
And when the group popped up in Deadwood, they earned spontaneous counter protests.
One of those protestors was State Auditor Rich Sattgast, who was in the Lawrence County city for the night.
“Footage of me engaging with them will surely surface. As a veteran, the son of a World War Two veteran, and the grandson of one of the first to enter Dachau, I in no way will apologize for my language towards this hateful group of scum,” Sattgast wrote. “They have their right of speech, but we must exercise ours as well.” . . .
The Blood Tribe wasn't welcome in the State.
From the South Dakota Searchlight:
State political leaders condemn Nazi marches in SD
South Dakota political leaders are condemning Nazi demonstrations that happened Saturday in Deadwood and on the Capitol grounds in Pierre.
The state Department of Public Safety said in a news release that a group attempted an unscheduled protest on the Capitol grounds, without a permit. The Highway Patrol asked the group to leave and the march “ended without incident,” according to the news release.
Images and video circulated online of about a dozen people dressed in red and black, with black masks covering their faces, carrying a Nazi flag and unfurling it on the steps of the Capitol. Images also surfaced of a similar march in Deadwood.
On her personal X (formerly Twitter) account, Gov. Kristi Noem wrote, “Nazis are not welcome here in South Dakota.”
“We stand for life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness,” she wrote. “We reject all hatred and Nazis.”
A known neo-Nazi leader, Christopher Pohlhaus, appeared to claim responsibility for the march when he shared Noem’s post on his own X account and said “we occupied your steps for the entire time we intended to be there.” According to the Anti-Defamation League, Pohlhaus is a former Marine turned tattoo artist and leader of the neo-Nazi “Blood Tribe.”
Other South Dakota political leaders also condemned the marches. U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds tweeted, “This is disgusting. This racist behavior has no place in South Dakota or anywhere.” U.S. Rep. Dusty Johnson tweeted of the incident, “This is atrocious.”
The activity is part of a resurgence of in-person demonstrations among white nationalist, neo-Nazi and far-right reactionary groups throughout the country, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center’s latest annual report on hate and extremism.
“For the first time since 2018, these racist activists, who together make up what is known as the white power movement, turned out in droves, holding 191 demonstrations in 2022 and 143 in 2023,” the report says.
Uncles on both sides of my family fought Nazis in World War II; as readers know, one uncle died in the Battle of the Bulge's Malmedy Massacre. I agree with Governor Noem on this one.
Photo: Blood Tribe Neo-Nazis unfurl swastika flag on Capitol steps in Pierre. From Dakota News Now.
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