Man Flies Nazi Flag From House, Claims He Just Likes Flags
A North Carolina man is taking down a Nazi flag that has flown outside his home for years, insisting that he is no racist, and instead simply likes flags.
John Brown, of Kings Mountain, North Carolina, has flown the Nazi banner for years, according to WCNC, much to the chagrin of his neighbors. Brown has repeatedly refused to give in to requests for the flag’s removal, saying that he doesn’t believe the flag itself is offensive, and asserting that he is not a racist. Brown admits that he can see how others disagree, however, and plenty in the community do.
“It stands out like a sore thumb,” said Chris Curry, who lives nearby. “We’re in a good neighborhood, we don’t need this.”
Neighbors say Nazi flag flying outside Kings Mountain home is offensive. Should be taken down. pic.twitter.com/odOOLHXOZA
— Tony Burbeck WCNC (@TonyWCNC) June 30, 2015
Other locals say that they find the Nazi flag offensive, calling it a hateful and racist symbol. Some neighbors, however, assert that Brown is simply a World War II buff. They noted that he enjoys movies depicting the war, and likes to listen to German music from the Nazi era, according to the Huffington Post.
A different flag fight in Kings Mountain. Man flies Nazi flag for years outside his house. pic.twitter.com/qEnDLXpxz2
— Tony Burbeck WCNC (@TonyWCNC) June 30, 2015
Though locals have long been calling for Brown to take down his Nazi flag, it isn’t the first banner that has struck a negative chord in the community. In 2012, Brown flew a black Nazi S.S. flag, which also courted local controversy. At the time, he voiced his belief that the flag, which was flown by the most brutal enforcers of Hitler’s Nazi regime, did not represent their actions.
“What’s wrong with it? It is a Nazi S.S. flag, but that’s not what it stands for. It don’t mean hells-bells or nothing. It is two lightning bolts. It stands for 44. It’s in the Bible.”
Recently, the United States as a whole has been embroiled in a controversy over the confederate flag, sparked by the killing of nine members of a black church in Charleston, South Carolina. As the Inquisitr previously noted, the controversy has continued, including calls to take down the flag at the South Carolina statehouse.
Brown says that he will take the Nazi flag down in the next few days, and that due to sun and wind exposure, he won’t be flying it again. The Nazi banner will be replaced with either an American or a North Carolina state flag, yet Brown asserts that he would fly a pirate flag if he owned one.
[Image via WCNC]
