Auctioneer Brian Hayward sorts through some WWI and WWII German helmets before Saturday's auction. A German sniper’s bullet-blasted helmet, with a revenge inscription inside, shocked a Whanganui auctioneer more than the Nazi insignias on some items he will sell this weekend. “To think that someone was wearing that, and the next minute… that’s the reality of war.”READ MORE:* Nazi memorabilia for sale at Auckland antiques shop 'offensive'* Nazi uniforms, firearms and swastika cake brought to Australian class* Nazi flags: glorifying evil or remembering war? A woman, who asked not to be named, contacted Stuff because she was so shocked at seeing photos of Nazi memorabilia on the auctioneer’s Facebook page. “We prefer to ignore it and get on with the good work we do to support our veterans.”It was not illegal to trade or collect Nazi memorabilia, and could be seen as exercising freedom of speech or expression.

Source: Stuff July 23, 2020 17:03 UTC