MADISON, Wis. — A Wisconsin man was fired from his job at the Madison Children’s Museum on Tuesday after he wore an Adolf Hitler costume for Halloween.
The man, whose name was not revealed because he was not charged with a crime, has a cognitive disability and believed he was mocking the Nazi dictator when he wore the costume near the University of Wisconsin campus on Saturday night, WISN-TV reported. The man is from Madison but does not attend the university.
Several photos of the man wearing the costume circulated on social media, according to WTMJ-TV.
“The organization has determined that his continued employment would create an environment at odds with our values and unwelcoming to visitors and staff,” the museum said in a statement on Tuesday.
A day earlier, museum officials said in a statement that the man’s costume was “completely unacceptable and runs counter to everything the museum believes.”
“We stand against antisemitism and all forms of bigotry and discrimination,” the museum said in its statement.
According to WISN, the man’s costume was condemned on social media and by several media outlets, including The Jerusalem Post.
The Post article included a tweet by StopAntisemitism, a group that documents antisemitic acts, with two pictures of the man in his costume.
“We are nauseated to see a man has dressed up as Adolf Hitler to celebrate Halloween at the U. Wisconsin Madison,” StopAntisemitism tweeted.
Madison police said they took “a variety of reports” about the costume, the Wisconsin State Journal reported. In a statement, police said the outfit was “offensive and reprehensible” but not a criminal offense.
Police said they contacted the man on Sunday and told him about “the issues that he caused in our community,” according to the newspaper. He has been an employee at the museum for 10 years, WTMJ reported.
The man’s mother told the Journal on Tuesday that she is grateful for the statements by museum and police officials.
“We asked for privacy as we work with professionals on this sensitive matter,” she told the newspaper.