MELBOURNE, Fla. (WSVN) — A Florida firefighter is facing backlash after a photo of him posing as Adolf Hitler surfaced, amid a rise in hateful acts in the community.
“Unfortunately, I can’t say I’m shocked. I wish I could because that would actually make this easier if this was a random, out-of-the-norm incident, but unfortunately, these types of incidents have become normalized,” said Linda Maurice, the executive director of the Jewish Council of North Central Florida.
According to a recently filed complaint, the Melbourne Fire Department is investigating. The image allegedly showed a firefighter wearing a combat helmet and fake mustache, appearing to look like Hitler, and even doing the Nazi salute.
“Who dresses like Hitler these days? It’s just unconscionable,” said Maurice. “We all make mistakes about things we say and do, but the fact that he stood there in front of a camera, is an intentional action. Education can go a long way, and accountability is crucial.”
Aaron Starkey, who reported the incident to his union, said nothing was done about it. The person in the photo reportedly confronted Starkey and told him to stop raising any further complaints.
According to officials, this act of hate is the second antisemitic incident this week in Brevard County. On Saturday, State Representative Randy Fine tweeted about his son receiving a bag filled with antisemitic messages.
The Anti-Defamation League shows that antisemitic harassment went up 29% last year, with Florida being one of the top five states with the most incidents.
“That is what I think is one of the scariest things, that we hear about them, we say, ‘Oh, my God,’ it happened again, but we’re used to them, and that I think is scarier than if it was just a random incident,” said Maurice.
This comes after a Brevard County firefighter was fired last year after photos of him in blackface started circulating online.
The community is now calling for action to be taken, as incidents like this continue to become normalized.
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