A Massachusetts military museum said it will review its protocol for historical war re-enactments after a group of its performers dined at a local restaurant dressed as Nazi soldiers this weekend, sparking anger online.
Throughout the weekend, the American Heritage Museum in Stow expected 350 participants to assume the roles of Axis and Allied soldiers in a series of four replicated battles at the institution in an event titled “Battle for the Airfield World War II Re-Enactment” on Saturday, October 12. The museum claims to have one of the world’s largest collections of military tanks and vehicles in the world and regularly hosts war reenactments.
Rob Collings, president of the American Heritage Museum, said in a statement shared with Hyperallergic that “at a time when acts of anti-Semitic violence continue to rise, when neo-Nazis have taken to the streets and the horrors of the Holocaust continue to be denied, wearing German uniforms in a public space is beyond thoughtless, it’s repugnant.”
“In the wake of this incident, we are undertaking a thorough review of how our strict presentation protocols are understood and followed by the living historians who participate in our programs and the consequences when they are ignored,” Collings said. He added that the uniforms were meant to be worn in the context of a re-enactment “designed to educate a new generation about what American GIs confronted and defeated some 80 years ago.”
The incident first gained traction on the social media site Bluesky, when a user said they walked out of a restaurant after a group of individuals in Nazi costumes entered with a reservation.
Kith and Kin restaurant in Hudson confirmed in a statement on Instagram that the two individuals wearing SS uniforms, seated at a table in a group of eight costumed people, had participated in the World War II re-enactment at the museum earlier on Saturday. The restaurant apologized to patrons and said that the staff was aware that the customers were “living historians” and did not believe they held “anti-Semitic beliefs.”
“In hindsight, they should have been asked to change before being seated,” the statement continues. “We would never intentionally do anything to offend or hurt anyone in the community.”
The restaurant announced it would remain closed today, October 15, after receiving “increased harassment and threats.”
