A Kendall County Republican volunteer who gave a Nazi salute and shouted “sieg heil” as Kendall County Democrats passed the float on which he was riding at Oswego’s PrairieFest parade Sunday drew condemnation from those who witnessed it, including U.S. Rep. Lauren Underwood.
“Today, while walking alongside volunteers, my family and my community in this year’s PrairieFest Parade, someone gave a Nazi salute and shouted hate speech at us,” Underwood, D-Naperville, said in a tweet Sunday, one of several she posted. The incident occurred before the parade started, when participants were lining up.
“I want to be very clear: hate has absolutely no place here. PrairieFest has been a family friendly, fun and welcoming event in Oswego for many years and we refuse to let this action define us.”
The 14th Congressional district is one in which the community “values civility and tolerance,” she said.
“We will not be silent in the face of hate — and I hope that you will stand with me against it,” Underwood tweeted.
Renato Mariotti, a former Naperville resident, Chicago-based lawyer and legal analyst for CNN and other media outlets, witnessed the same incident.
“I’m with Congresswoman @LaurenUnderwood in Oswego today for the PrairieFest parade, and when we passed the Kendall County Republican float, we were greeted by a man who gave a Nazi salute and shouted Sieg Heil. Is that what @kendallgop stands for?”
Sieg heil is a German phrase that when translated means “hail victory” and was often chanted at Nazi rallies, often accompanied by a raised arm in salute.
“This kind of hate speech is not what the Illinois 14th has ever been about,” said Ronnie Cho, a political adviser to Underwood. “In this day and age it’s a responsibility that leaders in the community speak out against this kind of hatred. It’s not something that will define the community, and I would ask that all leaders in the community denounce this kind of rhetoric as hatred.”
Former Kendall County GOP Chairman James Marter — who plans to challenge Underwood in 2020 — said he spoke with current party Chairman Joseph Gillespie before posting a note on Facebook in which both men said they “apologize to the Kendall County Democratic party for this person’s bad behavior, and we will no longer be affiliated with the person, who is not a precinct committeeman.”
“In the heated environment in politics these days,” the post said, “we cannot tolerate this type of behavior on either side and I regret it happened before the event.”
Kendall County Republicans re-posted Marter’s statement on the committee’s Facebook page.
Julie Gondar, chair of the Kendall County Democratic Party, said she reached out to Gillespie this morning “to thank him for making a prompt and unequivocal statement that this behavior would not be tolerated.”
“I’ve lived in this county almost all my life and I grew up in Oswego and went to Oswego High School, and it’s really important to me that they approach this kind of behavior seriously,” Gondar said.
She said she believes the majority of Kendall County Republicans are just regular people who have opinions different from her party’s on legislation.
“I feel this was an individual who made a statement that does not adequately represent Republicans in Kendall County,” Gondar said.
Gondar said she doesn’t use the the term Nazi lightly, but when someone is saluting and yelling hate speech as the volunteer did, “you’ve officially crossed the line into acting like a Nazi. We know that does not represent Oswego.”
Cathy Nevara, public information officer for the Oswego Police Department, said no police report was filed about the incident.
“They can report that to us. If they have questions they can always call us,” Nevara said.