Capitol rioter who wore ‘Camp Auschwitz’ sweatshirt arrested
A man wearing a “Camp Auschwitz” shirt stands among a mob of far-right demonstrators who stormed the US Capitol Wednesday. By ITV
By David Ian Klein January 13, 2021
Robert Keith Packer, the rioter pictured wearing the “Camp Auschwitz” sweatshirt” has been arrested, the New York Times reported.
In widely circulated photos, Packer could be seen in a Capitol atrium wearing a sweatshirt that read Camp Auschwitz, above a picture of a skull and the slogan “work brings freedom”– a loose translation of “Arbeit Macht Frei” which appeared on the gates of the Auschwitz concentration camp. The back of the sweatshirt simply read “Staff.”
Breaking: “Camp Auschwitz” Sweatshirt Guy has been identified.
The United States Marshall Service would like to award Robert Keith Packer of Virginia their coveted Silver Bracelet Award for his part in the storming of the US Capitol.https://t.co/CB3pVGsVUV pic.twitter.com/djoHxxiVth
— Roshan Rinaldi (@Roshan_Rinaldi) January 11, 2021
Since the pictures went viral, countless copycat paraphernalia began being sold across a variety of online outlets, prompting Jewish groups to quickly demand their removal.
Packer was taken into custody in Newport News, Virginia, where he resided, according to CNN who was the first to identify him.
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning journalism this Passover.
In this age of misinformation, our work is needed like never before. We report on the news that matters most to American Jews, driven by truth, not ideology.
At a time when newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall. That means for the first time in our 126-year history, Forward journalism is free to everyone, everywhere. With an ongoing war, rising antisemitism, and a flood of disinformation that may affect the upcoming election, we believe that free and open access to Jewish journalism is imperative.
Readers like you make it all possible. Right now, we’re in the middle of our Passover Pledge Drive and we still need 300 people to step up and make a gift to sustain our trustworthy, independent journalism.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
Only 300 more gifts needed by April 30
