Privileged!? Jan 6th Rioter Wearing Nazi Shirt Only Gets Sentenced To 75 Days!

A federal judge on Thursday sentenced Robert Packer, the Jan. 6 rioter seen in photos wearing a “Camp Auschwitz” sweatshirt, to 75 days in prison.

Packer had previously pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor count of demonstrating inside the U.S. Capitol building.

The black-hooded sweatshirt Packer donned during the riot, prosecutors said, showed “Camp Auschwitz” and “Work Means Freedom” with a skull image on the front, and “STAFF” written on the back. Underneath his sweatshirt, he wore another Nazi-inspired t-shirt, they said.

The prosecution argued that although Packer did not post on social media, he broadcasted his beliefs on his clothes.

The defense countered that if Packer had short hair, no beard, and was wearing a different shirt, he might be viewed differently.

When Judge Carl Nichols asked why Packer was wearing the shirt, the defense said he “cannot explain” why he was wearing it, but that it was a “free speech” issue.

“I just don’t think it is appropriate to make him serve more time because he is wearing that shirt, because he is allowed to wear it,” his lawyer said.

In delivering his sentencing decision, Nichols said “although he did not carry a sign, he wore a distinctive and incredibly offensive shirt.”

The judge said he can infer Packer wore the shirt for a reason, although he does not know that reason, because Packer has not told the court.

While Packer was charged with a misdemeanor, the prosecution requested 75 days of incarceration, followed by three years of probation and 60 hours of community service.

The prosecution noted that Packer’s actions should be considered within the context of the violence of Jan. 6. Although he himself did not perpetuate any acts of violence, they said, the mob would not have succeeded in overwhelming the police, breaching the Capitol, and disrupting the proceedings without his actions, alongside others who did the same.

Nicole Meade

https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/jan-rioter-wearing-camp-auschwitz-sweatshirt-sentenced/story?id=89973329&cid=social_twitter_abcn