A Florida woman has come under fire for selling hats with Nazi symbols during the Daytona Beach area Biketoberfest.
The vendor named Jenny has been selling items that include hats embroidered with logos of swastikas and skull-and-bones as a “tribute” to World War II veterans.
“It doesn’t mean what people think,” Jenny told a Daytona Beach news outlet. “A lot of people don’t know the history, so they label me a racist, which is not true at all.”
Jenny also sells other merchandise that does not include Nazi symbols, such as wallet chains, rings, and other hats. Jenny says she has been selling the merchandise at other biker rallies without complaints.
President of the Jewish Federation of Volusia and Flagler Counties Marvin Miller called the sale of Nazi items a “shame.”
“It never stops. We just have to deal with it and just remember that we’re still America. Unfortunately, people abuse some of the wonderful rights we have and take it to extremes to spread propaganda.”
Jonathan Davis, whose photo of the merchandise posted Thursday on Facebook first noted its sale, said he thought that while Americans could disagree on their politics, there was agreement that Nazi imagery “had no place in society.”
“It’s absolutely disgusting to see a vendor selling Nazi and SS gear, but it’s even worse that the only reason they would do so is because people are actually buying it,” Davis said.
The owner of the property where Jenny was selling her Nazi gear ordered her to remove it, and she complied.