Did Nazis attempt to march in Skokie?

In 1976, the National Socialist (Nazi) Party, led by Frank Collin, contacted the Skokie Park District to request a permit to march in Emily Park.  Although this request was never “denied”, the Neo-Nazis turned their attention to the Village of Skokie and requested permission to march near Village Hall.  The Village responded by enacting three ordinances which, after protracted legal proceedings, were deemed unconstitutional. 

As a result, the Village was compelled to grant the Neo-Nazis’ request, and the march was scheduled for June 25, 1978.  The march was later cancelled as the party was given permission to march in Chicago’s Marquette Park.

The events that unfolded drew national attention.  Support for Skokie and other anti-march groups came from all over the country.  Several groups planned protests and other activities if the Neo-Nazis marched including the Jewish Defense League and the Chicago Anti-Nazi Coalition.

The Coalition called for a rally in front of Skokie’s Village Hall to protest the request of Neo-Nazis to march in downtown Skokie.  The Coalition’s protest was to occur May 1, 1977, the same day the Neo-Nazis planned to march.  Even though the efforts of the Neo-Nazis to march on that day were temporarily stymied by a court injunction, the Chicago Anti-Nazi Coalition still wished to protest fully realizing that the legal battle was far from over.

The thought of Nazis marching in Skokie was terrifying to many of its residents.  At the time of the attempted march, approximately 40-50% of Skokie’s population was Jewish and an estimated 7,000 to 8,000 Holocaust survivors lived in Skokie.