Neo-Nazis Crashed Athens Pride. It Backfired Spectacularly
About 10 men in matching red and black, roughly half of them masked, turned up at Athens PrideFest in Georgia on Saturday 6 June, waved a swastika flag and threw Nazi salutes. They were gone within minutes. The crowd booed them, organisers blocked their view with a banner, and the parade kept moving.
Attendees filmed the whole thing. In footage shared online, one person can be heard yelling, “Show your face, you f***ing cowards.” Others said the men shouted “Heil Hitler” along with racist and anti-gay slurs, according to Atlanta News First. Police from Athens-Clarke County watched the group the entire time, reported no violence and made no arrests.
So who were they?
The watchdog StopAntisemitism identified the group as Blood Tribe, a neo-Nazi outfit founded by Christopher Pohlhaus. The Anti-Defamation League says its members treat Adolf Hitler as a deity, which tells you the kind of people who bothered to show up. The group’s symbol is a red blood drop on a black background, the same colours the men wore in Athens.
Blood Tribe has appeared at LGBTQIA+ events across the United States over the past couple of years. Recognise the pattern? They turn up in uniform, get filmed, and clear off once the counter-noise starts.
That is more or less how Saturday played out. Organisers deployed a banner they call a “hater blocker” to cut off the men’s line of sight, and the group left soon after, CBS News reported.
The part that actually matters
Athens Pride and Queer Collective refused to give the stunt much oxygen. “Their appearance was intended to intimidate, divide, and spread fear, but it failed to overshadow the overwhelming spirit of joy, solidarity, and love that defined our community celebration,” the group said in a statement.
Executive director Elliot Williamson kept it simple for CBS News. “They hurt morale around the parade briefly, but overall I’m proud of how our community handled the situation.”
Ten men in matching uniforms against an entire Pride crowd. We all know which side flinched first.
