HUDSON, Mass. (WBZ) – A group of World War II re-enactors dressed in costume dined at a restaurant near Boston over the weekend.
The actors were part of an American Heritage Museum World War II re-enactment on Saturday.
After the presentation, a group of them went to eat at Kith and Kin restaurant in Hudson, Massachusetts.
Two of the actors were wearing Nazi uniforms, and now the restaurant is facing backlash.
The restaurant owners say they were forced to temporarily close due to threats against their workers.
Gary Lewi, and American Heritage Museum trustee, said the incident was “beyond thoughtless” by the actors.
“Let’s put that in context. It’s at a time when antisemitic violence is on the rise, when neo-Nazis have taken to the streets, the Holocaust continues to be denied… so, wearing German uniforms in a public space, that’s beyond thoughtless. That’s repugnant,” Lewi said.
There are protocols on how and where the costumes are allowed to be presented, Lewi said, and this was not one of them.
He said the museum itself doesn’t even allow costumes with SS collars on the museum’s grounds. The costumes are only supposed to be displayed on a re-enactment battlefield.
“It does not exist off the field, which is why there are strict protocols that the American Heritage Museum has regarding what to wear, when to wear it, and how to wear it, and clearly that protocol was violated,” Lewi said.
The fallout is now affecting Kith and Kin.
The restaurant put up a sign saying they were forced to closed on Tuesday for “the safety of our staff.”
The restaurant apologized on Facebook for allowing the actors to eat there in costume, saying they should have asked them to change since other diners might not have known it was for a re-enactment.
“We would never intentionally do anything to offend or hurt anyone in the community. If we truly thought these individuals held antisemitic beliefs, we would have never allowed them to step foot in the restaurant,” Kith and Kin said in a statement.
Lewi said the museum will tighten protocols further and make sure the actors understand they cannot wear their costumes outside of the performance.
“It’s not a hate crime, it’s stupidity,” Lewi said.
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