Newsletter
Newsletter Support JNS

Marshals arrest man wearing ‘Camp Auschwitz’ sweatshirt in Capitol riot

Robert Packer, 56, was arrested by U.S. marshals in Virginia on charges of illegally entering a restricted area, and violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds, according to court records.

Robert Packer, 56, wore a "Camp Auschwitz" sweatshirt during the Jan. 6 mob invasion of the U.S. Capitol. Credit: Western Tidewater Regional Jail.
Robert Packer, 56, wore a “Camp Auschwitz” sweatshirt during the Jan. 6 mob invasion of the U.S. Capitol. Credit: Western Tidewater Regional Jail.

A man who wore a sweatshirt with the words “Camp Auschwitz” was arrested on Wednesday in connection with the Jan. 6 mob invasion of the U.S. Capitol as Congress was tallying U.S. President-elect Joe Biden’s electoral victory, according to media reports.

Robert Packer, 56, was arrested by U.S. marshals in Virginia on charges of illegally entering a restricted area, and violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds, according to court records.

The sweatshirt Packer wore read “Camp Auschwitz,” just above a skull and with the caption “Work Brings Freedom,” alluding to the sign at the entrance of the Nazi concentration and death camp, Arbeit macht frei, or “Work sets you free.”

Viral photos exposed Packer wearing the sweatshirt inside the Capitol building.

“Endorsing terrorism is disqualifying for visa purposes. We’re asking the government to apply the law that it already wrote,” an attorney with the advocacy group told JNS.
The department investigated 98 anti-Jewish hate crimes in 2025 and says it continues to coordinate closely with Jewish organizations and institutions across the city.
“Last night the Iranians shot down one of our highly sophisticated Apache helicopters while patrolling over the Strait of Hormuz,” the president wrote. “The United States must, of necessity, respond to this attack.”
Nithya Raman, who has supported calling Israel an apartheid state and its actions in Gaza as “genocide,” stated that she is “incredibly honored” to advance to the general election in November.
“The sense of insecurity experienced by Jewish Canadians is now attracting international attention,” the J7 Large Communities Task Force Against Antisemitism wrote.
Eduardo Martinez “is a flagrant antisemite who used his platform to push hatred and misinformation against our community,” Tali Klima of the Bay Area Jewish Coalition-Action told JNS. “We are not sad to see him go.”