A group of demonstrators gathered outside Knilans Hall on the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater campus on Jan. 21, 2024. The group displayed antisemitic symbols and chanted racist comments, in addition to lighting off what appeared to be road flares, and repeating their mantra of “there will be blood.”
Identified as the “Blood Tribe,” this group of neo-Nazis has demonstrated in Wisconsin before, such as their November 2023 march in Madison, as well as spreading their rhetoric as far south as Nashville, Tennessee, in February 2024.
As the Blood Tribe did not inform the university of their intentions to demonstrate, the students in the dorms were surprised by the event and promptly reported it to the police.
UW-Whitewater campus police chief Matthew Kiederlen commented on the event in an email, stating that their police team was unfamiliar with the “Blood Tribe” until the incident.
“This was not a planned or sanctioned event. After the event was reported to police, we had officers on the scene in less than a minute,” Kiederlan stated.
For many people affiliated with the university, an event fueled by hatred such as this was a shock to witness. While, at the national level, antisemitic and racist events have been on the rise, the UW-Whitewater campus is not a place that has been previously affected by that pattern.
“Like all communities, you have your ‘one-off’ events, but this was way more than that. UW-Whitewater, I believe, is considered an inclusive and welcoming environment. Incidents of hate, ethnic, racial, or sexual bias are far from a common occurrence,” Kiederlan stated.
Because this event was such a harsh surprise that heavily affected the student climate heading into the university’s second semester, the Chancellor of UW-Whitewhiter, Corey A. King, has put out a statement with several anticipated measures to be taken in response to the incident.
The university has formed a Public Safety Task Force, led by Matthew Kiederlen, to review and better the safety of the campus. They have also created a Chancellor’s Student Advisory Panel for ideas on how to improve the student experience.
Additionally, 2024 is the first year that UW-Whitewater is administering the Higher Education Research Institute (HERI) Climate Survey, surveying non-instructional staff for the first time since 2009.
According to the statement put out by Chancellor King, “The results will serve as a data-rich foundation as we determine a plan of action moving forward.”
Chancellor King’s statement sent a message of hope for the university’s futurefuture of the university and its ability to overtake these hateful demonstrations with a climate of support.
“Our Warhawk family stands in solidarity. We are united in rejection of hate and our unwavering commitment to creating a supportive and safe campus environment where we can all thrive and achieve,” Chancellor King stated.
While efforts to denounce hateful actions and improve the university’s climate are important and appreciated by staff and students, the university’s legal ability to rid its campus of these types of demonstrations is, unfortunately, low.
“Because universities are state and therefore public property, prevention or not allowing these types of things to occur is difficult and often illegal to do. If the group had contacted us beforehand to do an organized event, we would be legally obligated to accommodate their request. We can control, to a point, the time and place of a protest, [which] is only possible when the group chooses to coordinate with the University,” Kiederlan stated.
He elaborated that the First Amendment protects demonstrations such as these, and they only become illegal once very clear and specific threats are made, which is not an easy line to draw.
“From a moral and ethical standpoint, I find their actions reprehensible, incongruent with a modern society and the stance of weak, little minds who are governed more by fear than intellect,” Kiederlan stated.
As the Whitewater community pulls together to heal from this incident, the campus staff and students alike have seen a new sense of solidarity.
“I have seen fear, I have seen love, I have seen bravery, and I have seen a desire to fight against this kind of stupidity,” Kiederlan stated.

Kiederlan also invited anyone who wishes to speak on this incident to contact him by email at [email protected] or by phone at (262) 472-4660, stating that he “firmly believe[s] the way we defeat this type of garbage is by calling it out at disgusting and demonstrating its idiocy.”