In the US, Senator Husted fires aide over photo of SS soldiers on Facebook
In the United States, Republican Senator from Ohio John Husted ended cooperation with his political director, Stephen Wojtek, following reports of his activity on social media, including the use of a photograph of Nazi SS soldiers as his Facebook profile picture. The Guardian reports, citing The Washington Post.
Campaign decision
The 25-year-old Wojtek was appointed Husted's political director last month, as the senator campaigns for re-election against former Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown.
A Husted spokesperson told The Washington Post that the campaign ended its cooperation with Wojtek immediately after learning about the social media posts. According to the spokesperson, although Wojtek denied malicious intent, his social media activity demonstrated a “complete lack of judgment and disregard for its impact on others.”
The campaign did not answer The Washington Post's questions about whether and how Wojtek's social media activity had been reviewed before his appointment.
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Social media activity
According to the publication, on Facebook Wojtek followed the reenactment group LAH Living History Unit, which recreates the 1st SS Panzer Division “Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler.” The group's website states that its members dress as soldiers of this Waffen-SS unit, which initially served as Adolf Hitler's guard.
A 2018 photograph was also published on LAH's Flickr account showing Wojtek, who was 16 at the time, dressed in an SS uniform and marching at a location with Nazi flags. The Guardian notes that on Facebook he also follows several SS uniform suppliers.
In addition, an account bearing his name created a public Spotify playlist titled “Tales from Rhodesia,” with the caption “I miss a place that no longer exists.” According to The Guardian, the playlist contained songs supporting Rhodesia, a former British colony where a white-minority rule regime existed until 1980. The publication notes that some racist groups use Rhodesia as a symbol of the superiority of white rule.
Wojtek himself said that he rejects the racist and antisemitic ideology of the SS and Nazi Germany. He explained his participation in historical reenactments as a desire to help educate young people and acknowledged that he should have “exercised better judgment” when posting information about his activities online.
