In the clip shared Sunday on TikTok, one man can be seen in a tan uniform and a red, white and black Swastika armband. Another man in the footage wears a black sweatshirt emblazoned with the Nazi slogan "Gott Min Uns" — or "God With Us."
Jessica Gregorio, who posted the video, told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram that the two men had been dining with a group of around 10 people. Seeing Torchy's staff serve the group their food made her feel uncomfortable, she added.@dropdeadgorjessx ♬ Oh No - Kreepa
Gregorio, who's Jewish, said one of the cosplaying Nazis also walked up to her and said "white power," something not captured in the clip.
"The reason the Holocaust got to where it was is because too many people just let that shit slide," Gregorio said in a follow-up video explaining why calling out far-right extremists is important. "I could not let that shit slide."
Torchy's responded to the incident Tuesday in a post on X, the online platform formerly known as Twitter.
"Fuck Hate," the company wrote in its statement.
Torchy's does "not support this group or any hate group," officials with the chain also said, adding that the team members at the Fort Worth location served the people in Nazi regalia to "ensure the safety of guests and our team members."
"We will continue working closely with local authorities to ensure the safety of our guests and team members," the statement continued. "We are taking this matter extremely seriously."
Texas journalist Steven Monacelli, who's extensively covered the rise of the far right in North Texas, speculated via X that the men seen at Torchy's could have been among the neo-Nazis spotted Sunday at a Dallas rally.FUCK HATE pic.twitter.com/GZUsFm5YT1
— Torchy's Tacos (@torchystacos) October 10, 2023
That group held a rally in front of the LGBTQ-friendly Cathedral of Hope in Dallas' Oak Lawn neighborhood.
"Looks like some of the Neo-Nazis who protested in Dallas on Sunday also made a pitstop in Fort Worth," Monacelli wrote in a Monday tweet.
Monacelli also noted that the incident happened just two days after the leader of the far-right Defend Texas Liberty PAC reportedly met with white supremacist Nick Fuentes in Fort Worth.
Neo-Nazis gathered in Dallas today to spread anti-Semitic, anti-LGBTQ, and white supremacist messages. This is just the latest in a pattern of events which has featured Nazis finding common cause with Republican activists like Kelly Neidert who testified in the Texas legislature. https://t.co/PakPysvfLH
— steven monacelli is posting 🆓 (@stevanzetti) October 9, 2023
Additionally, the North Texas Nazi sighting came a day after members of the Islamic militant group Hamas launched an assault on Israeli civilians that's left hundreds dead, including women and children.Looks like some of the Neo-Nazis who protested in Dallas on Sunday also made a pit stop in Fort Worth. Incidentally, Hitler sympathizer Nick Fuentes had met with a major Republican consultant and PAC leader at their Fort Worth office just two days prior. https://t.co/0VbgTtpEfD
— steven monacelli is posting 🆓 (@stevanzetti) October 9, 2023
In response to the attacks on Israel, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed an executive order Sunday expediting the release of $4 million in state funds towards securing Jewish schools, synagogues and organizations statewide.
"Texas condemns anti-Semitism," Abbott wrote on X.
Despite Abbott's decree, Texas had the fifth-highest number of antisemitic incidents in the nation last year, according to the Anti-Defamation League. Thirty of those incidents took place in Bexar County.
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