Aman who drew national attention and condemnation for wearing an Adolf Hitler costume on State Street was fired from his job at the Madison Children’s Museum on Tuesday night.
“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 Monday, museum officials said the man’s costume was “completely unacceptable and runs counter to everything the museum believes.” The statement continued, “We stand against antisemitism and all forms of bigotry and discrimination.”
Statements from the Children’s Museum and Madison police said the man has cognitive disabilities.
“His work with the museum over the past 10 years has been closely supervised, coached, and supported. It is our understanding that he believed his costume to be mocking Hitler,” the museum said in the statement.
The man’s mother told the Wisconsin State Journal on Tuesday that she’s grateful for the statements by the Madison Children’s Museum and Madison Police Department.
“We asked for privacy as we work with professionals on this sensitive matter,” she said. The State Journal isn’t naming the man because he hasn’t been charged with a crime.
The costume the man wore Saturday night got significant attention over the weekend on social media and by news 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.
