Nazi Rally in Toledo

The Toledo Police Department was prepared for Saturday's Nazi rally at the Government Center and, as a result, there were no reports of injuries or damage.

From ToledoBlade.com:

Dozens of black-suited officers with shields lined the side of Jackson closest to Government Center. Several times during the rally, another line of police streamed from the warmth of the garage at the nearby Safety Building into the biting cold to walk behind the stationary line of officers and around the rally organizers.

The Wood County Sheriff's Office tank-like armored vehicle made a brief appearance outside the Safety Building. Air surveillance circled overhead, and police snipers watched from nearby rooftops.

Officers rode their horses, which were wearing protective eye shields, behind the barriers and in front of the designated public area.

"Horses make a difference. No one resists a horse. It's a real show of power," Lucas County Sheriff James Telb said.

Whoa! Black-suited officers with shields, horses, a tank! Add on the fact that it was cold, cold, cold and one can understand that there was little disruption of the peace.

Authorities said 26 adults and four juveniles were arrested, all for misdemeanor offenses, including disorderly conduct and inciting violence. Most of those arrested were not from Toledo.

Three people were arrested for carrying concealed weapons after they were found with knives while passing through metal detectors at two designated public entries.

Videos were taken of those entering the rally, including news media representatives, for "intelligence gathering for future investigations," Chief Navarre said, declining to elaborate further. [ed. note: This is interesting. I wonder if the ACLU would approve.]

Seven people were arrested for violating the temporary restraining order issued Friday in Lucas County Common Pleas Court that prohibited any group from gathering in a neighborhood away from the rally zone. They were anti-neo-Nazi protesters, and they were arrested in the 1300 block of Sylvania Avenue.

Jeff Willis, a Toledo Journal photographer, was the first to be arrested - even before the rally started. He and two freelance photographers were arrested for crossing police lines.

Spokespersons for various peace groups indicated they were angered that there was no opportunity to beat the hell out of the Nazis because of the police tactics. A reported 63 neo-Nazis, including members of the Ku Klux Klan, Retaliator Skinhead Nation, and the World Church of the Creator, conducted the spew-in.