Prosecutors in the southern German city of Konstanz have launched a probe after a local theater company promised free entry to spectators who wear a swastika to a play named after Adolf Hitler's "Mein Kampf,” Deutsche Welle reported.
The theater’s management was unpleasantly surprised after too many people had come forward willing to don the infamous Nazi symbol.
In a notice posted on its website, the theater announced that it would hand out swastika armbands to the willing ahead of the performance timed for the April 20 birthday of Adolf Hitler.
It added that those who pay for their tickets will be asked to wear a Star of David "as a sign of solidarity with the victims of barbarism."
The offer created an angry outcry and prosecutors will now determine whether it falls under freedom of artistic creativity.
The theater’s management argued that the whole idea was just an attempt to show how easily people can be corrupted and that the play is a stinging parody of Hitler’s early years.
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In an interview with German broadcaster SWR, they described the large number of people willing to wear swastika to get free admittance as “surprising and frightening.”
According to an expert report commissioned by the Bundestag, Jews in Germany are facing increasing anti-Semitism in their everyday lives, leading them to fear for their safety.