American Man Fired from Job for Dressing as Hitler on Halloween

Museum Officials: "Cognitive Impairment Due to Past Accident... Intended to Mock Hitler"
US Sees Decline in Anti-Semitic Attitudes but Violence Hits Highest Since 1970

Adolf Hitler. The photo is not related to the specific content of the article. Photo by Asia Economy DB

[Asia Economy Reporter Bang Je-il] A man with cognitive impairment in Wisconsin, USA, was fired from his job after dressing up as Adolf Hitler, the former leader of the German Nazi regime, for Halloween.

According to an AP report on the 2nd (local time), the man, who works at the Madison Children's Museum, dressed as Hitler on the street near the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus on October 29th and enjoyed the weekend before Halloween.

A photo of the man in costume was spread on social networking services (SNS) and reported by some media, sparking public criticism. In response, the Madison Children's Museum fired him on the 1st. The museum issued a statement saying, "Continuing to employ him contradicts the values our museum upholds and is unacceptable to our visitors."

The museum explained that the man's Hitler costume is absolutely intolerable and stated, "We oppose anti-Semitism, prejudice, and discrimination." The museum also revealed that the man suffers from cognitive impairment due to a past traumatic brain injury. However, the museum added, "We believe he intended to mock and satirize Hitler through the costume."

Local police said that while the man's Hitler costume was a condemnable act, it is not punishable by law. The anti-Semitism watchdog group StopAntisemitism called the act "disgusting" and deemed it unacceptable.

Meanwhile, anti-Semitic sentiment is spreading in the United States, particularly among politicians and celebrities. According to a Washington Post report on the 28th, the ADL index measuring agreement with negative stereotypes about Jews hit a record low of 11% in 2019, the latest statistics available. However, in the same year, 2,107 cases of violence and harassment against Jews were recorded in the U.S., the highest since statistics began in the 1970s.

Anti-Semitism was also a key issue in the Pennsylvania gubernatorial primary, where Republican Doug Mastriano, who promotes Christian nationalism, faced off against Jewish Democrat Josh Shapiro. Last month, Mastriano attacked Shapiro for attending a private Jewish day school, which was criticized as anti-Semitic.

American rapper Ye, better known as Kanye West, faced criticism for wearing a shirt with the phrase "White Lives Matter." This phrase twists the human rights slogan "Black Lives Matter," which was raised in response to the deaths of Black people due to excessive force by white police officers. Furthermore, on the 8th of last month, Ye made anti-Semitic remarks, saying he would impose "deathcon 3" on Jews, leading Adidas, with whom he had a 10-year partnership, to terminate their relationship.