A store in Nashville has come under fire for selling ‘Not Vaccinated’ badges that resemble the Star of David badges Jews of Europe were legally compelled to wear during the Holocaust.
As reported by CNN, Nashville's hatWRKS recently posted an image to their Instagram page showing the store's owner, Gigi Gaskins, posing with one of the badges and announcing their availability.
The patch resembles the yellow Star of David patches the Nazis enforced during World War II, with the caption of the now-deleted post reading: “Patches are here. They turned out great. $5 [each]. Strong adhesive back...we’ll be offering trucker caps soon.”
However, the shop was swiftly met with backlash, and the post was deleted just a few hours later. Gaskins has also since revealed in a follow-up post that no badges were sold or given away.
But despite being removed from the page, screenshots were taken and shared across social media, with many people venting their outrage on Twitter.
One person wrote alongside the screenshot: "This utterly repulsive shop in #Tennessee is selling ‘not vaccinated’ yellow stars, desecrating the memory of all victims of the Holocaust. It should be shut down immediately."
A second added: "As a young school girl in Holland, my mother was forced to wear a yellow star by the Nazis to identify her as a Jew. It’s beyond grotesque to sell this evil symbol to proclaim one’s not vaccinated. Where does this end?"
A third wrote simply: "Beyond disgusting."
After coming under fire on social media, Gaskins issued an apology to the store's Instagram page on Sunday (May 30), which read:
"In NO WAY did i intend to trivialize the Star of David or disrespect what happened to millions of people. that is not who i am & what i stand for.
"My intent was not to exploit or make a profit. my hope was to share my genuine concern & fear, and to do all that i can to make sure that nothing like that ever happens again. i sincerely apologize for any insensitivity. [sic]"
However, the apology came after the store seemingly attempted to defend its position, questioning why people were outraged at the post when they should be "outraged at the tyranny the world is experiencing".
Per the Holocaust Memorial Center, Jewish people in Europe had been "legally compelled to wear badges or distinguishing garments" as far back as the 13th century.
After being phased out and abolished prior to the 20th century, "the Nazis resurrected this practice as part of their persecutions during the Holocaust".
Per CNN, a group of protesters gathered outside the store on Saturday morning, with some holding signs reading "Nashville condemns hatWRKS" and "No Nazis in Nashville".
Additionally, the apparel maker Stetson announced over the weekend that it will no longer conduct business with the store.