Meme comparing face masks and Nazi stars posted by Minnesota county GOP draws outrage

The Minnesota GOP has apologized for a county Republican Party’s “vitriolic” Facebook post comparing face masks to Nazi stars.

The Wabasha County Republican Party shared a meme Monday comparing mask mandates during the COVID-19 pandemic to the yellow stars that Nazis forced Jewish people to wear during the Holocaust, screenshots show.

The photo shows a Nazi officer speaking to a man with a yellow Star of David on his jacket.

“Just put on the star and quit complaining, it’s really not that hard,” the Facebook post says. “Just put on the mask and stop complaining.”

Forcing Jewish people in Europe to wear the yellow stars was “one of many psychological tactics aimed at isolating and dehumanizing,” according to the Holocaust Memorial Center.

Face masks are a recommended safety measure to save lives as the coronavirus pandemic has led to the deaths of nearly 150,000 people in the U.S.

Democratic Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz recently issued an order requiring face masks in most indoor and outdoor public spaces.

Initially, the Wabasha County Republican Party said the post was the result of Facebook hacking, Minnesota GOP Chairwoman Jennifer Carnahan tweeted. The state GOP later learned the meme was posted by a county party board member, who has since resigned.

“We are saddened by the vitriolic post and hope as we move forward that Republicans and Democrats alike will maintain the highest level of integrity, respect, and sensitivity,” Carnahan tweeted. “The Wabasha County Board and MN GOP apologizes for this disappointing post.”

The Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor party pointed out other examples of Minnesota Republican candidates who’ve compared mask requirements to the Nazi party, warning the rhetoric could lead to less compliance and more deaths from the coronavirus.

Steve Hunegs, executive director of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Minnesota and the Dakotas, condemned the Facebook post, the Associated Press reported.

“It’s a disgrace to the memory of WWII veterans as well as survivors of the Holocaust and anybody that fought,” he told the AP.

This story was originally published July 28, 2020 at 8:42 PM with the headline "Meme comparing face masks and Nazi stars posted by Minnesota county GOP draws outrage."