Bloomsburg Fair in Pennsylvania Fails to Apologize for Nazi Flag

A Trump Win Means A Nazi America: If you think that  Donald J. Trump’s  mere candidacy is providing comfort for Nazis to come out of the woodwork, can you imagine what a presidency will invoke?

By Melanie Nathan, September 26, 2016.

screen-shot-2016-09-26-at-10-44-54-amscreen-shot-2016-09-26-at-10-02-38-amTonight starts the debates between Donald J. Trump and Hillary Clinton, as the candidates for the U.S. Presidential election steam ahead, with mere weeks to the general election, that will not only impact the United States, but also the entire globe.   What we have at stake is huge – and that includes the well being of immigrants, refugees, undocumented immigrants, people of color, Jews, Muslims, LGBT people and Mother Earth, herself.

As the fervor builds – evidenced by unprecedented excitement, reverberating on  TV’s, radios, social media, etc., we witness the terrifying rise of white supremacist nationalism, (dubbed the alt-right)  helmed by the KKK and Nazis, and the legitimization that Trump and his campaign has brought to their cause.  And with this comes unconscionable imagery at family focused events, such as The Bloomsburg Fair, where, in my opinion, children and minorities should be protected, not terrorized.  Can you imagine if an ISIS flagged appeared for sale at your local fair? Well it seems a Nazi flag barely invoked a response:

Just this week we witnessed THIS, (see screenshot below) – an unsightly and terrifying vision of deplorable comfort, platform courtesy The Bloomsburg Fair, in Pennsylvania, where Fair organizers allowed a vendor to raise his Nazi flag, probably for sale, propped up by an identifying and supportive legitimization, through a Trump Banner:

A person, who I have not named here, and who encountered this at the Bloomsburg Fair, posted this on Facebook:

PA Fair Nazi Flag vendor

What we glean from this image is not only the horror of what the Nazi regime brought to the Jews, the allies and the world, but the underlying notion that Trump’s “Make America Great Again” is based on Nazi dogma: The scapegoating of minorities, the idea that American will only be great again after the ‘cleaning up of America’ through the riddance of people of color and Jews and Muslims and gays, lesbians and transgender folk too! This is the message these ‘types’ have happily embraced from the Trump rhetoric and platform.

That is what this picture so accurately conveys….. a direct association between Trump and Nazis!

After seeing this on Facebook, several people contacted Bloomsburg Fair and many commented on their FB page, and were told that the flag has been removed. However, the Fair failed to disavow the flag, its meaning and failed to chastise the vendor appropriately. There is no apology to those who were offended by it – this inept statement by Bloomsburg Fair President Paul Reichart that appeared on the Bloomsburg Fair Facebook page, does not cut it:

screen-shot-2016-09-26-at-10-30-14-am

 

The Fair is a huge family attraction, and many children must have walked past that awful flag. Personally it invokes terror in me – I wonder if more at that fair felt that way too.  But now what about the organizers?  Where is the real apology?  It seems that to Bloomsburg Fair organizers this flag is merely “questionable.”

The Bloomsburg Fair 2016 has been a harvest time tradition since 1855 in the Susquehana Valley:  “Once the end of September rolls around, the Central Pennsylvania community of Bloomsburg sets the stage for the biggest festival in the entire state. The first fair was held the decade before the Civil War and Gettysburg forever changed the history of Pennsylvania. As the years passed, the fair grew bigger and the schedule of events expanded. As the fair goes strong in its second century, you can expect to find a long list of fun things to do. The schedule still includes agricultural contests and traditional fun—as well as carnival rides and games, grandstand shows, and a long schedule of live entertainment.”

As an American and a  Jew – I ask for a meaningful, unconditional and robust apology from the Fair President Paul Reichart, denouncing the antisemitic imagery.  Fair organizers need to come out and disassociate themselves from this disgusting display of abject hate.

As for Trump and his  campaign – well they are the ones who have emboldened this hate – and they know it. This is the base they are pandering to, and refusing to disavow.

If you think that  Donald J. Trump’s  mere candidacy is providing comfort for these Nazis to come out of the woodwork, can you imagine what a presidency will invoke?    This is not the America I want for my children. No thank you Donald J. Trump. 

UPDATED:
To add insult to injury word is coming in that this Vendor is a registered Sex offender!   We will update with name and further information as it comes in.

SCREENSHOT FROM LIST OF VENDORS:
screen-shot-2016-09-26-at-11-20-11-am

screen-shot-2016-09-26-at-11-20-58-am

Screenshot from Internet: HERE

Screen Shot 2016-09-26 at 11.19.04 AM.png

UPDATED 4.00PM Eastern  Bloomsburg Fair shuts Down  Vendor for “safety” of visitors –  Note I believe he has been asked to leave because he is a sex offender, and not because of the Nazi Flag etc. that he was displaying:- 

Bloomsburg Fair
Bloomsburg Fair When we became aware of the additional details of the vendor in question, we had them close their stand and they have been instructed to leave the fairgrounds tonight after closing. Again, the stand is now closed, but for the safety of our visitors today, they are not able to leave until after the fair closes.

One thought on “Bloomsburg Fair in Pennsylvania Fails to Apologize for Nazi Flag

  1. That’s a touch unfair, Melanie. You know that conservatives like Reagan force the Far Right to even greater extremes to distinguish themselves.

    The same is true right now for the Far Left. Take a look at Mintpressnews.com and its 24/7 “We hate Hillary” network! Heck, there’s a gay-bashing, Jew-hating NAZ! On there who loves Jill Stein in hopes she’ll help destroy Israel!

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