Skip To Content
JEWISH. INDEPENDENT. NONPROFIT.
Fast Forward

Capitol rioter who wore ‘Camp Auschwitz’ sweatshirt arrested

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.”

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, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and the protests on college campuses.

Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.

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.

Republish This Story

Please read before republishing

We’re happy to make this story available to republish for free, unless it originated with JTA, Haaretz or another publication (as indicated on the article) and as long as you follow our guidelines. You must credit the Forward, retain our pixel and preserve our canonical link in Google search.  See our full guidelines for more information, and this guide for detail about canonical URLs.

To republish, copy the HTML by clicking on the yellow button to the right; it includes our tracking pixel, all paragraph styles and hyperlinks, the author byline and credit to the Forward. It does not include images; to avoid copyright violations, you must add them manually, following our guidelines. Please email us at editorial@forward.com, subject line “republish,” with any questions or to let us know what stories you’re picking up.

We don't support Internet Explorer

Please use Chrome, Safari, Firefox, or Edge to view this site.

Exit mobile version