Waterloo antiques dealer ends sale of Nazi tunic amid public pushback

A Nazi uniform on display and for sale at an antiques dealer in Waterloo is now no longer on the market.

In an update Wednesday, the Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center for Holocaust Studies (FSWC), which had previously called for the sale to be stopped, said the uniform has since been pulled and an apology issued.

The item had been for sale at St. Jacobs Antiques Market on King St. North in Waterloo, though no public apology appears to have been posted online or elsewhere.

All the same, in a statement, FSWC said it is “thankful for the market’s quick response and understanding of our concerns over the sale of Nazi memorabilia.”

It also said it is “hopeful” the market will avoid the further sale of Nazi memorabilia in the future.

You can read the previous article on this story below.

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The store says it does not support Nazism, but it also suggests it is willing to profit off it — something a Toronto-based human rights and social advocacy organization says is also unconscionable.

St. Jacobs Antiques Market at 805 King St. North in Waterloo is facing criticism over a piece of Nazi memorabilia on display, behind glass, and for sale.

It’s described as a 1930s Nazi tunic complete with party pin and arm band, and it’s being sold at a price of $6,500.

“My first reaction: I was a little surprised, a little shocked, and then honestly — a little disgusted to see it was for sale,” said Jeremy Scharoun, a customer who flagged the item and his concerns over it to CityNews Kitchener.

He said he also raised those concerns with store staff who responded to say they believe it to be no more than a piece of history.

“We both obviously agreed that war is horrible and education is important, but I thought there was a big difference between selling an item and educating,” said Scharoun.

“I don’t think it was just an educational moment,” he continued, adding the item is on display in a store, not a museum. “It was just to profit off something pretty obscene.”

Scharoun said he later called back to speak with store staff again and was told, again, the items are pieces of history and asked, when it comes to war memorabilia, where is the line?

“Personally, I can always draw the line at Nazi memorabilia and Nazi symbols,” he said. “I think that is just always going to be on the ‘bad’ side of the line and [staff] just disagreed and said, it’s not that easy.”

In a statement to CityNews, St. Jacobs Antiques Market confirmed it sells military memorabilia from World War I to World War II and earlier. It also said that includes items from the Canadian, British, American, French, Polish, Russian, and German militaries.

When it comes to German war memorabilia specifically though, the store said it does not support Nazism, “however, history cannot be erased and it is extremely important to educate people of the horrific past.”

“It’s okay for us to teach history and show those things to students who are learning about World War II, it’s just about the idea of profiting from a genocide,” replied Scharoun.

“To me, personally, I just don’t think it’s right but it’s up to the store whether or not they want to be known as the store that sells Nazi memorabilia,” he said, and a Toronto-based human rights group agrees.

“While it’s not illegal to display or sell Nazi memorabilia, profiting off such items associated with the genocide of six million Jews and millions of others goes against good conscience,” said Michael Levitt, president and CEO of the Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center for Holocaust Studies (FSWC). “This Nazi uniform belongs in an appropriate educational institution, used as an education tool to teach the public about the Second World War and the horrors of the Holocaust. Otherwise, it may end up in the wrong hands, including extremists and Nazi sympathizers.”

FSWC has also called on the antiques dealer to immediately stop the sale of the uniform.

Meantime, the store’s statement goes on to further suggest the concerns now being raised may represent “a deliberate attack on our business for personal gains.”

It then goes on to state, “the truth can be easily twisted and create misinformation,” before encouraging people to visit the store along with a plug of its operating hours.