Neither Walmart nor authorities identified the couple.
“What happened at our store in Marshall, MN is unacceptable,” Garcia said in a statement. “We strive to provide a safe and comfortable shopping environment for all of our customers and will not tolerate any form of discrimination or harassment in any aspect of our business. We are asking everyone to put on face covers when they enter our stores for their safety and safety of others and it is unfortunate that some people have taken advantage of this pandemic as an opportunity to create a distressing situation for customers and associates in our store. ”
The Marshall Police Department did not respond to CNN’s request for comment.
Raphaela Mueller, 24, who filmed the video, told CNN she was “completely shocked” to see the couple shamelessly wearing the Nazi swastika in public.
“It is a sign of death, persecution, lack of diversity,” said Mueller. “There was great disappointment, pain, grief and anger. It was a mix of all these emotions.”
After mentioning the problem with the store manager, Mueller and his partner, Benjamin Ruesch, began filming the couple when they left.
“You’re sick,” Ruesch can be heard saying in the video as he confronts the couple wearing the masks. “You have a disease. You can’t be an American and wear that mask. We literally had a war over this.”
After posing for the camera, the unidentified woman replied, “I am not a Nazi. I am trying to show you what will happen in the United States. If you vote for (Joe) Biden, you will be a Nazi.” Germany. So shall “.
The unidentified man with the crossed face of the swastika can be heard saying: “We live under a socialist state.”
Mueller, who was born in Germany, said seeing the symbol was painful, especially when she recalled how her great-grandmother fought in the underground resistance against the Nazis in the 1930s and 1940s.
“The swastika is a trauma trigger for many people,” he said. “Trauma has been shown to be transmitted in DNA, so I know that I am carrying what my great-grandmother went through. I did not lose anyone in the Holocaust, but I know that many other people do. So I just thought of them having to do this is heartbreaking. ”
Mueller said when she heard about the Nazi symbol displays on the news, she thought they were isolated incidents, but now she says she is not sure.
“I never knew I would see this with my own eyes,” said Mueller. “But we must be aware and be prepared to intervene.”
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