Why is it an inappropriate comment? It is factual. There are photos showing people that have Nazi symbols. One example is this guy in the “Camp Auschwitz” hoodie [1]. He also was present in a photo from the inside of Capitol, means he actively participated. There are more examples.
I had such a similar conversation with coworkers one time during lunch. I said that I had just seen a Nazi on a bike next to the office. One of my coworkers tried to argue, that not every biker was a Nazi and maybe I had jumped to conclusion too soon. Which of course is true, not every biker is a Nazi, but the one I’d seen had had a swastika and SS bolts tattooed on his shoulder.
This is the same as saying "Stay safe homies looters are about", or "Stay safe homies black people are about". The tone is distasteful, to say the least.
Also, it's a generalization that is harmful since nazism is a strong accusation. When accusing someone with things like this, you should be specific.
As an improvement, he should have used a more precise language in a sensitive issue like this like "Stay safe. There are some nazis in the protest, and the situation might be escalated to violence.". To be honest, this is like social skill 101.
I had such a similar conversation with coworkers one time during lunch. I said that I had just seen a Nazi on a bike next to the office. One of my coworkers tried to argue, that not every biker was a Nazi and maybe I had jumped to conclusion too soon. Which of course is true, not every biker is a Nazi, but the one I’d seen had had a swastika and SS bolts tattooed on his shoulder.
And yes, there were looters during BML protests.
[1] https://nypost.com/2021/01/06/neo-nazis-among-protesters-who...