A couple in Minnesota wore swastika-patterned red face masks at a Walmart in a video posted on social media
MARSHALL, Minnesota: A couple in Minnesota wore red masks adorned with swastikas at a Walmart in a video posted on social media.
Police were called Saturday to Walmart in Marshall, in the southwestern part of the state, in a report that two shoppers were wearing the mask with the symbol used by the Nazi party. Another shopper, Raphaela Mueller, who is a vicar from a parish in southwestern Minnesota, posted a video on Facebook of the man and woman confronted by others in the store, the Star Tribune reported.
“If you vote for (Democratic presidential candidate Joe) Biden, you are going to live in Nazi Germany, that’s the way it will be,” the woman wearing the swastika mask said in the video as her husband carried grocery bags. in a shopping cart.
When she first saw the couple, Mueller said, she felt “nauseous and wanted to cry, which I ended up doing.”
“He was speechless and shocked. I’ve heard that (things like this) happen elsewhere, but I never thought I’d see something like this, ”he told The Associated Press on Sunday.
Marshall police gave the couple no-raid notices, but did not subpoena or arrest them, police Capt. Jeff Wenker told the AP on Sunday. Police did not identify the couple.
Saturday was the first day that Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz’s executive order that required masks in businesses and interior public spaces came into effect to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Walmart already requires customers to wear masks at its namesake stores and Sam’s Club.
In a statement, Walmart said the Bentonville, Arkansas-based retailer “will not tolerate any form of discrimination or harassment in any aspect of our business.”
“The store administration offered individuals disposable face masks as an alternative, which they declined. The individuals became belligerent and the store management asked them to leave the store, ”said Walmart.
The couple’s illegal entry ban is for at least a year and applies to all Walmart stores, the company said.
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