Published: 5 May 2020
Last updated: 4 March 2024
'Arbeit Macht Frei': Nazi slogans show up at Illinois rally protesting coronavirus lockdown (Haaretz)
The use of an infamous Nazi slogan featured on the gates of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camps in an Illinois protest against coronavirus pandemic shutdowns, along with other Nazi imagery, has sparked widespread condemnation.
The phrase "Arbeit Macht Frei" was photographed on Friday on a sign at the "Re-open Illinois" demonstration and posted on Twitter. The woman carrying the sign was wearing an American flag face mask and, according to the tweet, denied being a Nazi, asserting that she has "Jewish friends".
The phrase was adopted by one of the demonstrators resisting the stay-at-home order issued by Illinois Governor JB Pritzker to curb the spread of the coronavirus, which is set to remain in effect until May 31.
Friday's demonstration was one in a series of protests across the country aimed at pressuring governors to lift sweeping restrictions, "open" their economies, and allow businesses to return to full operation.
American ‘militia’ members compared to ‘vanilla ISIS’ (Jerusalem Post)
SETH FRANTZMAN: The accusation that right-leaning Americans are similar to the divisions in the Middle East raises some needed discussion about terminology and assumptions.
Photo: Infamous slogan appears at Illinois protest
