Director of the Cincinnati Jewish Federation’s Jewish community relations council, Jackie Congedo, spoke of the incident during a May 21 Webinar focusing on “Hate and Antisemitism in Ohio During COVID-19,” in which she was a panelist and co-host.
“Fast forward several weeks after this protest and law enforcement is actually investigating a subsequent incident where we know that he entered a convenience store around the anniversary of the Kent State shooting in that area wearing a black T-shirt with a Nazi symbol and swastika, black tactical pants and boots, a Nazi tattoo on the back of his head,” Congedo noted during the seminar.
“He had a hatchet and a machete, and he was asking where he could find Jews. He told the clerk he was an Aryan Brother, for those of you who may not be familiar with the Aryan Brotherhood, which is a Nazi organization, and he said that he intended to go to Kent State to find Jews,” she added.
Police in Stow were unable to confirm the identity of the man since he has not been charged with a crime in relation, although police noted that the offense in the May 3 report was listed as disorderly conduct and “physically risk of harm” with a bias towards Jewish people.
Canton Police Department Lt. Dennis Garren told the CJN that Matthew Slatzer, 36, was likely involved in the antisemitic incident
“I work very closely with our local synagogue, and we’re very aware of the threat that Mr. Slatzer poses to the Jewish community, and are in constant communication with the synagogue about the safety and security of their congregation,” he said.
Slatzer is currently being held in Stark County Jail in connection to an unrelated incident.
State Rep. Casey Weinstein (D-Hudson), who showed images of Slatzer at the Columbus protest, said in response to the incident that “when you see people take that next step of making threats and action toward violence, it’s very sobering,” he said. “And it reminds me of the stakes of the fight we’re in right now.”
The report also noted that Slatzer is alleged to have a long history with antisemitic and white supremacist activity, including attending a neo-Nazi rally in Michigan.