A Florida tire shop owner is refusing to buckle under pressure for dangling a Nazi flag to protest the Israel-Hamas War.
“I put that out there to bring awareness, to bring remembrance … to let people understand, we’re living … or Palestinians are living in a modern-day holocaust,” Radio Ahmad, owner of 904 x 4 tire shop in Spring Park, Florida, told Action News Jax.
The shocking stunt to wield a flag that served as the Nazi Germany's brand during World War II where 6 million Jews were slaughtered in an effort to decimate the race — was to draw more support for the Palestinian people who have been suffering as collateral damage ever since the battle began.
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“They are going through hardships, starvation, demolishing other homes,” Ahmad said. “There’s so much hate, so much cruelty out there, and we’re witnessing it firsthand.”
The message wasn't well-received by many.
“It’s a symbol of antisemitism, and it’s a symbol of true hatred ... nothing more and nothing less,” Jewish Federation & Foundation of Northeast Florida CEO Mariam Feist told the outlet. “He is comparing contemporary Israeli policy with that of the Nazis. That is nothing short of antisemitism and Jew hatred. Period! That’s what it is.”
There was a mix of condemnation over the flag protest.
A neighbor felt the messaging was hurtful.
“It shows racism,” Derrick Blunt told the outlet. “And it just upsets me that it’s right there.”
Others chimed in online.
"I hope you have a good retirement plan, you just cost yourself your business," wrote Todd Satola, commenting on the tire shop's social media page.
Jenn Rockefeller also was offended. "You ought to be ashamed of yourselves," she wrote. "This is disgusting. I'm Jewish and I find this HIGHLY offensive."
"F--- the Nazis and anybody who stands with them," Jordan Lewis wrote.