A group of armed neo-Nazi protesters demonstrated outside a drag brunch fundraiser last weekend at Land-Grant Brewing Co. in Columbus, Ohio. The protesters, covering their faces with black ski masks, carried Nazi swastika flags, chanted “no transgenders on our streets," and repeatedly made Nazi salutes. 

 

Members of the Columbus community rallied to oppose the hate. The music was turned up at the event to drown out the protesters and others “provided actual barriers to block out uninvited guests,” according to Kaleidoscope Youth Center Executive Director Erin Upchurch. Columbus Mayor Andrew J. Ginter denounced the protesters while City Council President Shannon Hardin urged residents to counter the hate by donating to the fundraiser.

 

Many people online were outraged that such a demonstration could take place in 2023 while others were saddened by it. In response to this display of hatred, many also expressed solidarity with the LGBTQ community.

 

Twitter’s community notes challenged a tweet from Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) this week for calling Israel an “apartheid state.” Tlaib tweeted “Speaker McCarthy wants to rewrite history, but the apartheid state of Israel was born out of violence and the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians” in response to House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s (R-Calif.) speech at Israel’s Knesset. The tweet was quickly subjected to a note by Twitter, adding relevant context contradicting Tlaib’s claims on Israel. This is not the first time Twitter corrected one of Tlaib’s tweets, as she called Israel an apartheid state a month ago. 

 

Similarly, a tweet from Omar Shakir, Israel and Palestine director at Human Rights Watch, was also hit with a community note after he claimed Israel killed a senior member of the Islamic Jihad, Khader Adnan. The note points out that Adnan died from a 86-day hunger strike he initiated and that he praised suicide bombers and called for the murder of Israeli civilians on multiple occasions. 

 

Users online celebrated Twitter’s community notes for intervening and calling out both Tlaib and Shakir over misinformation that attempted to villainize Israel. Others blamed Israel for the death of Adnan calling for Israel to be held accountable for the crimes they have committed. The Islamic Jihad responded by firing rockets from the Gaza Strip which ignited further conversation. 

Four members of the Proud Boys, a far right organization who led the attack on the U.S. Capitol Building on Jan. 6, 2021, were convicted on Thursday of seditious conspiracy. The members were found responsible for gathering and organizing hundreds of Proud Boys members in Washington D.C. during the certification of the election of President Joe Biden. 

 

The prosecution relied on the testimony of two former Proud Boys members as well as hundreds of thousands of internal messages to illustrate their roles in planning the attempted insurrection. The group’s messages also revealed rampant homophobia, misogyny and antisemitism.

 

Jewish organizations and other advocates expressed appreciation on social media for the convictions.

 

 

 

 

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