A Nashville hat store that caused controversy for promoting “Not Vaccinated” badges that resembled the yellow stars used to identify Jewish people in Nazi Germany apologized Saturday for the “insensitivity.”
“In NO WAY did I intend to trivialize the Star of David or disrespect what happened to millions of people,” read the Instagram post from hatWRKS.
“My hope was to share my genuine concern & fear and to do all that I can to make sure nothing like that ever happens again.”
The haberdashery, owned by Gigi Gaskins, ignited a firestorm with a now-deleted post about the yellow stars. The store’s Instagram is still filled with posts about “the tyranny the world is experiencing” and being forced to “show your papers.”
On Sunday, the hatWRKS Instagram doubled down.
“I was willing to put my business on the line to stand up for the freedoms that we still have in our country. What I didn’t expect is being accused of the very things that I was fighting against,” the post reads.
“Was the use of the yellow star an insensitivity? Obviously so to many, but does that make me an anti-Semite Nazi? NO, NO IT DOESN’T. Have I done unspeakable, unforgivable harm to others? NO, NO I HAVE NOT.”
