Hundreds of people jeered and taunted a group of neo-Nazis who rallied against immigration policy and the Iraq war Saturday on the steps of the state Capitol.
Police estimated about 800 people showed up to counter the Minneapolis-based National Socialist Movement’s speakers, but a brief rainstorm thinned the crowd.
Police said 64 neo-Nazis lined the Capitol steps.
Officers closed off the streets around the Capitol and built three fences to keep the crowd dozens of yards from the neo-Nazis. About 300 officers, many in riot gear, stood outside the Capitol.
Police arrested four people for disorderly conduct and one for resisting arrest.
Neo-Nazi speakers demanded Bush pull troops out of Iraq and Afghanistan and place them on the Mexican border with orders to shoot to kill. They also denounced corporations for destroying the planet. Several punctuated their speeches with shouts of “White power!” and “Seig Heil!”
Mary Wallace, 55, of Madison, held two signs. One read “Ignorant Bigots, leave us in peace.” The other said “Wrong time. Wrong place. Halloween is in October.”