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Protesters wave Nazi flag, shout slurs outside ‘Anne Frank’ play in Detroit

Law enforcement asked agitators, described as in their 20s, to leave, prompting them to move across the street.

Anne Frank
Anne Frank. Credit: Collectie Anne Frank Stichting Amsterdam.

A group of about a dozen masked individuals protested outside a theater performance of “The Diary of Anne Frank” at American Legion Devereaux Post 141 in the Detroit metropolitan area, yelling vulgar insults and waving a swastika flag.

For approximately 30 minutes on the night of Nov. 9, men described as in their 20s chanted, among other things, that “Anne Frank was a whore,” according to The Detroit News.

Frank was a German-born Jewish teen living in Amsterdam who kept a diary of life in hiding there with her family until they were eventually rounded up by Nazis in August of 1944. She died in February 1945 in the Bergen-Belson concentration camp at the age of 15.

Sheriffs who arrived on the scene requested the demonstrators to leave, prompting the agitators to move across the street.

Bobby Brite, past commander of the post, filmed the event, retorting that “they are some of the most cowardly people I’ve ever met,” per the newspaper. Their actions were “absolutely disgusting.”

Chuck Firman, president of the Fowlerville Community Theatre that put on the play, said “it was a scary moment. But really, the show must go on.”

“It’s difficult to stand among ancient stones and not recognize the power of a people maintaining a connection to places that have shaped their story for thousands of years,” said one participant.
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