A Pataskala haunted house drew protestors and condemnation Saturday, for an event that seemed particularly offensive after the morning’s shooting at a Pennsylvania synagogue. Alison Holm reports.
“Swastika Saturday” is reportedly a 28-year insider tradition at the Haunted Hoochie, when staff push the boundaries of what’s scary and offensive a step farther. But in the wake of an attack at the Tree of Life synagogue that left 11 worshippers dead, protestors like Gail Burkholder of Columbus felt it was a step too far.
“Ghosts and goblins probably aren’t real. The Holocaust was real. What happened yesterday in Pittsburgh was real. The Daily Stormer is real. There’s a difference between fake evil and real evil. Swastikas are real evil.”
The band Only Flesh scheduled to perform at the event Saturday night cancelled. A message on their Facebook page explained: “We do not condone hate speech or racism in any way and cannot be associated with a place that promotes a “swastica [sic] saturday”.
About a dozen people were on hand for the impromptu protest. The management of the Haunted Hoochie have not commented on the event.
