KEY POINTS

  • A woman holding a Nazi slogan at the Re-open Illinois rally sparked controversies among netizens
  • The protester held a slogan that read, "Arbeit macht frei, JB"
  • The German phrase means “work sets you free” 
  • The term was also used by the Nazis to lure political prisoners into forced labor under false pretense that they would be “spared from death”

As hundreds of residents flocked the James R. Thompson Center in downtown Chicago to urge Governor J.B. Prizker to lift the state's stay-at-home order and ease economic restraints, one banner stood out when a protester used a phrase once used by the Nazis.

Amidst American flags, slogans and the call to re-open Chicago's business after being it was shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a woman was described by ABC News as someone who stepped over an “anti-Semitic line” after she was caught holding a sign that read, “Arbeit macht frei, JB.”

The German phrase means “work sets you free” and is known for appearing on the entrance of the of Auschwitz and other Nazi concentration camps. The term was also used by the Nazis to lure political prisoners into forced labor under false pretense that they would be “spared from death.”

A file picture taken on December 5, 2019 shows the main gate at the entrance to the Nazi Auschwitz concentration and extermination camp in Poland
A file picture taken on December 5, 2019 shows the main gate at the entrance to the Nazi Auschwitz concentration and extermination camp in Poland AFP / JANEK SKARZYNSKI

The woman protester, who also wore a face mask bearing the American flag, was captured by Dennis Kosuth, a registered nurse who participated in a counter-protest. Kosuth posted the image on his Twitter account where it was quickly bombarded by criticisms.

“This was one of the signs at the “Re-open Illinois” event today. She assured those that she was not Nazi, and stated, 'I have Jewish friends.'

“Thank you for representing yourself and your 'movement' for what it is,” Kosuth said in his post. He also told NBC News that the woman came up to them and did not respect their space.

“They would come up to us and get in our faces,” he added.

Kosuth's Twitter post was also noticed by the Auschwitz Memorial Museum after it went viral. It said in a Tweet that the phrase was used by the SS as a “false, cynical illusion” to the prisoners of Auschwitz and has since became “one of the icons of human hatred.”

“It is painful to see this symbol instrumentalized & used again to spread hate. It's a symbol of moral & intellectual degeneration,” according to the post.

Governor Pritzker vilified the protester in his personal Tweeter page, as well as the others who rallied with swastikas, including one with a “Heil Pritzker” sign.

“The meaning of that swastika is apparently unknown to the people who are carrying it or if it is known, it's a demonstration of the hate that is among us,” he said.

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