A dozen or so individuals marched during the downtown Springfield Jazz & Blues Fest in Ohio on Aug. 10, carrying rifles and swastika flags, and wearing red shirts, black pants, boots and black ski masks.
Ohio is an open-carry state with certain legal restrictions.
Springfield was known as the “Home City” in the early 20th century for its active fraternal organizations, including the Masonic Lodge, Knights of Pythias and Independent Order of Odd Fellows. It also has a history of Ku Klux Klan activity that dates back more than 100 years.
“There was an attempt to disrupt our community by an outside hate group,” Rob Rue, the mayor of Springfield, said in a Facebook post shared by the city’s government. “Nothing happened, except they expressed their First Amendment rights. Our police division was aware and in control the entire time.”
Rue told the Springfield News-Sun: “We were watching the whole time.”
“We’re really proud of how our officers responded,” he said. “They responded wisely, they were in control the entire time, we knew their every movement. It was important that the safety and well-being of everyone was a priority.”