HARRISBURG, Pa. — Harrisburg residents were greeted with swastikas and hate speech around 2 p.m. Saturday near the State Capitol Complex.
Witnesses say it began at Soldier’s Grove before moving its way through Capitol property and eventually on to State Street.
City officials say the demonstration was allowed because it was not done on private or city property.
“For as hurtful and as loathsome and as awful as this was, the First Amendment protects what they did by walking down the street with flags,” said Matt Maisel with the City of Harrisburg.
Witnesses believe the group was Blood Tribe, a neo-Nazi white supremacist group based in Maine.
A video posted on Facebook of the group showed them chanting “white power” and other racially provocative language.
Alison Dagnes, a professor with Shippensburg University, says the language is protected under the constitution.
“If somebody is just saying something that is nasty and ugly, that is protected speech. But, if someone threatens someone else’s safety and causes real harm to that person, that is not protected speech,” Dagnes said.
Witnesses believe the group used guerilla style tactics to provoke a negative reaction, like physical violence, and failed.
“The proper response to somebody who is really unhinged is, instead of engaging, maybe disengaging,” Dagnes said.
Capitol Police were the first to notice the group.
Officers from the Bureau of Police eventually asked the group to leave after receiving public complaints.
It is unconfirmed if the group received a violation for using a U-Haul to transport its members.
“Harrisburg Police are there to protect city residents, they are there to protect city property from anything being damaged. And if these jerks would have stepped to anyone, you better believe Harrisburg Police would’ve been protecting the people, not them,” Maisel said.
Some residents hosted a counter demonstration on Sunday spreading messages of love and peace in response to what happened.
Harrisburg officials condemn what the hate group allegedly said and assured the public that kind of behavior is not welcome in their city.