Military enthusiasts slammed for wearing Nazi uniforms
The Military Re-enactment Society held a dinner in a New Zealand restaurant with some members wearing full German uniforms, inluding swastika armbands.
A photo of Hitler stood on the mantelpiece and Nazi banners hung from the wall in the Cambridge restaurant as society members gathered for an Armistice Day meal last month.
The incident has upset the Returned Services Association with national president Robin Klitscher telling media there was nothing wrong with re-enacting military events but he took a dim view of those who saw the Nazi uniform as “a fancy dress costume”. He said to media: “At the time it was much more that a fancy dress costume.” He added that wearing it today is unacceptable and that “this group hasn’t understood the symbolism.”
A representative of the group told media that American units were also featured at the dinner which was a private function.
The head the New Zealand Jewish Council, Stephen Goodman, said that the use of Hitler’s photograph was “disturbing”.
He told J-Wire: “This is not the first time this group has been brought to our attention. A few months ago they were spotted by the son of the Chairman of the Auckland Jewish Council in Auckland Airport wearing the Nazi uniforms. They were confronted and promised not to wear them publicly again. To the best of my knowledge they have not repeated the public exposure.”
Goodman added: “Strangely enough, one of the organisers is a namesake of mine. I spoke to Steve Goodman’s wife and she told me the dinner was no more than a military re-enactment. There apparently was nothing antisemitic about the dinner and I have had long conversations with the organisers who said the re-enactment covered activities at the ‘headquarters’ of both sides.”
Cambridge is a town famous for horse-breeding and lies about 24 kilometres from Hamilton in the country’s North Island.
Military re-enactment groups exist in many countries covering a wide range of historical events.
It is disgusting to see Australians or anyone else, even in reenactments, proudly wearing the uniforms of a race of zealot genoside killers of men, women and children; who murdered millions of people and cost the lives of thousands of allied soldiers lives. It disrespects Australia, America and other allied countries who gave their blood to make the world free. It should be banned internationally. I spit on each and every such fool who participates and call on everyone else to do the same..