COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Southern Poverty Law Center is an organization that investigates hate groups across the country. The organization shared information it gathered on the neo-Nazi group that marched in Columbus over the weekend, as well as concerns over more hate groups making their way to Ohio in the near future.
"Groups that exist to harm and vilify people based on immutable characteristics pose a risk any time you see them out in public,” said Jeff Tischauser, a senior research analyst for the Southern Poverty Law Center.
Tischauser said the neo-Nazi group spotted in the Short North on Saturday is a breakaway group from the Goyim Defense League, known as “Hate Club.”
"This is their second on-the-ground rally that we've tracked. The first one being in September in St. Louis,” he said.
Tischauser said the group is known for posting antisemitic flyers across the country. Based on his research, he said he anticipates seeing more of these groups appearing across the state soon.
"The groups that are targeting Ohio right now, and I'm in some of their chats, I see their propaganda. They see Ohio as convenient logistically,” he said.
Tischauser said the people in these groups don’t want to travel far distances, and Ohio is more conveniently located for some of the hate group members working in nearby states.
"There's like a really kind of big hub of this activity in and around southern Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, Missouri, and a lot of the groups they don't want to drive too far, and they pick Ohio as kind of like a central meeting point,” Tischauser said.
Tischauser also warned that even though these groups typically claim to be nonviolent, they still have the capability to be violent.
"We do have 1A [First Amendment] rights, and we should use our 1A rights when it’s time to, but just know it's risky when doing that with these groups,” Tischauser said.
10TV also spoke with the Anti-Defamation League on Monday. They said they’re working on common sense legislation across the country that would prevent armed, masked individuals from marching through communities intimidating and harassing others.