A rioter who entered the Capitol building during last week's protests and was pictured wearing a Camp Auschwitz sweater has been arrested by authorities in the United States.
Robert Keith Packer, was arrested by police in Newport News in the state of Virginia, where he is originally believed to be from. He had been identified by a large number of people who knew him and he made no attempt during the storming of the Capitol building to hide his face, he even appears to have posed for numerous photographs taken by journalists and other protestors.
The black sweatshirt carried the words 'Camp Auschwitz' in reference to the Nazi concentration camp where Jews and other political opponents were murdered during the Second World War. Over 1 million men, women and children were killed in the camp, mostly as a result of gassing. They then had their bodies cremated in ovens. The sweater also had a skull and crossbones, similar to that worn by the Nazi 'Death Head Battalion', who were involved in a large number of atrocities during the war, as well as the words 'Work Brings Freedom'. The phrase 'work brings freedom' is a loose translation of 'Arbeit macht frei', which adorned the gates to Auschwitz.
Little is so far known about Packer, though one neighbour from Virginia said:
"He's been always extreme and very vocal about his beliefs."
CNN also reported that he has a criminal history that includes three convictions for driving under the influence and one for the forging of public records.
Packer was just one of many protestors wearing neo-Nazi emblems. One individual was photographed wearing a t-shirt with '6MWE' which is believed to stand for '6 million wasn't enough', a reference to the 6 million Jews who died during the Nazi holocaust.
Trump:
— David Schneider (@davidschneider) January 7, 2021
“We love you, you’re very special. Particularly the ones with the cable ties for hostages and the ‘Camp Auschwitz’ and ‘6 Million Wasn’t Enough’ T-shirts and the racist flag”#terroristsnotprotestors pic.twitter.com/9B5uUqSxcI
There has been widespread fury at the brazen way in which Trump supporters and neo-Nazis worked together to storm the Capitol building, invoking a riot in which 5 people died.
One Twitter user summed up the thoughts of many when he said:
"Almost physically sick at the sight of this guy in a 'Camp Auschwitz' sweatshirt. Today he is walking free, after entering the Capitol to overturn a democratic vote, being allowed to leave without sanction or arrest, and being told 'We love you' by the President…"
Almost physically sick at the sight of this guy in a "Camp Auschwitz" sweatshirt. Today he is walking free, after entering the Capitol to overturn a democratic vote, being allowed to leave without sanction or arrest, and being told "We love you" by the President... pic.twitter.com/A3bR4rTSGE
— Dave Haslam (@Mr_Dave_Haslam) January 7, 2021
Many other protestors chose to display the Confederate flag at the Capitol building and one rioter, believed to be from Brooklyn, was shown with a large Confederate flag while inside the building. Flying the flag of the Confederacy in the home of US Government is particularly significant as it is the symbol of the very forces who attempted to destroy the United States in order to maintain slavery within the southern states.
A federal prosecutor in Washington has said that over 70 people had already been charged with criminal activity in relation to the Capitol building riot and said that he expects hundreds more to face prosecution in the coming days, weeks and months. Charges thus far served include seditious conspiracy, murder and trespassing.
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