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FACT BRIEF

Did a pro-Palestine protester chant "Heil Hitler" at UW-Madison Jewish students?

By Rachel Hale
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NO

On April 29, a man agitated a group of Jewish students and a Hillel staff member standing near the University of Wisconsin-Madison pro-Palestine encampment and did a raised-hand Nazi salute toward them, but did not shout "Heil Hitler."

Multiple UW-Madison Jewish students and encampment organizers who were at the scene confirmed to Wisconsin Watch that the agitator was not affiliated with the demonstration group and didn't shout the Nazi slogan.

Republican Rep. Tom Tiffany, who represents northern Wisconsin, claimed in an April 30 social media post based on an inaccurate Milwaukee Journal Sentinel report that pro-Palestine protesters chanted "Heil Hitler” at UW-Madison students.

Students said they were standing peacefully when the man approached them and started sharing his thoughts on the war.

In a video from the incident, the man admits to doing the salute. UW police are investigating. A police spokesperson confirmed the salute was reported, not the slogan.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
Justin Kay 4/29UWMadison.mov
Daily Cardinal UWPD investigating antisemitic incident on Library Mall
Google Docs Tom Tiffany X post 5/1/24
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Evers on encampments: 'We will eventually take action if we have to': Updates
Google Docs Wisconsin Watch Interview with Student Witness
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Wisconsin Watch
Wisconsin Watch, the news arm of the nonpartisan, nonprofit Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism, increases the quality and quantity of investigative reporting in Wisconsin, while training current and future investigative journalists. Its work fosters an informed citizenry and strengthens democracy.
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Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.