BREAKING🚨🏳️‍🌈 Ten neo-Nazis showed up to a Pride parade in Georgia with a swastika flag, shouted "Heil Hitler," and got booed out of the street by thousands of queer people who refused to flinch. Saturday, Athens PrideFest was underway in downtown Athens, Georgia, home of the University of Georgia, when about ten men in matching red and black uniforms marched in. Roughly half wore black masks. They were carrying a large flag with a swastika. They shouted "Heil Hitler." They shouted racist and anti-gay slurs. They gave Nazi salutes. The crowd responded with boos so loud they drowned the group out. Watchdog organization StopAntisemitism identified the group as the Blood Tribe, a neo-Nazi organization founded by Christopher Pohlhaus that has made a practice of showing up at LGBTQ events across the country in recent years specifically to intimidate and provoke. It did not work. Athens Pride organizers were prepared. They deployed what they call a "hate blocker," a large banner carried by volunteers that was physically placed between the neo-Nazi group and the parade route, cutting off their sightlines and shielding marchers from direct exposure to the imagery. Athens-Clarke County police had officers stationed directly alongside the group for the duration of their presence, with bike cops patrolling the outer routes as well. The group left. No arrests were made. No violence occurred. "They hurt morale around the parade briefly," said Elliot Williamson, executive director of Athens Pride and Queer Collective. "But overall, I'm proud of how our community handled the situation." In their official statement, Athens Pride was blunt: "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. Let us be clear: these actions were not expressions of opinion. They were acts of intimidation rooted in ideologies responsible for genocide, violence, and the ongoing dehumanization of marginalized people." Ten men with a swastika flag showed up to a Pride parade in 2026. Thousands of people cheered louder. The hate blockers went up. The cops watched. The Nazis left. That is what holding the line looks like.

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