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Wisconsin Watch partners with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. Read our methodology to learn how we check claims.

No.

On April 29 a man agitated a group of Jewish students and a Hillel staff member standing near the University of Wisconsin-Madison pro-Palestine encampment and did a raised-hand Nazi salute toward them, but did not shout “Heil Hitler.”

Multiple UW-Madison Jewish students and encampment organizers who were at the scene confirmed to Wisconsin Watch that the agitator was not affiliated with the demonstration group and didn’t shout the Nazi slogan.

Republican Rep. Tom Tiffany, who represents northern Wisconsin, claimed in an April 30 social media post based on an inaccurate Milwaukee Journal Sentinel report that pro-Palestine protesters chanted “Heil Hitler” at UW-Madison students.

Students said they were standing peacefully when the man approached them and started sharing his thoughts on the war.

In a video from the incident, the man admits to doing the salute. UW police are investigating. A police spokesperson confirmed the salute was reported, not the slogan.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

Sources

Justin Kay: 4/29UWMadison.mov

Daily Cardinal: UWPD investigating antisemitic incident on Library Mall

Google Docs: Tom Tiffany X post 5/1/24

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Evers on encampments: ‘We will eventually take action if we have to’: Updates

Google Docs: Wisconsin Watch Interview with Student Witness

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Rachel Hale joined Wisconsin Watch as a reporting intern in June 2023. She is currently a student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison studying Journalism and Political Science with certificates in Jewish studies and Middle East studies. Rachel previously worked at The Forward and The Times of Israel and was a member of the POLITICO Journalism Institute’s 2023 cohort. She is interested in reporting that spans the intersection of cultural identity and political impact.