Sale of Nazi items at Cambridge, Ont. antique mall sparks debate

Nazi memorabilia available for purchase inside a Cambridge antiques mall is sparking debate over whether the public sale of these wartime items are educational or harmful.

“As an antiques mall, we don't support cancel culture,” said Nicole Robert, manager of Southworks Antiques on Water Street. “I feel like it evokes conversations that are very important. We don't want to forget our mistakes as a people.”

The antiques mall features 150 vendor booths. Among them is a booth that contains numerous items related to the Nazi war era, including medals, helmets, and silverware with swastika symbols.

“We felt it was a strong idea to treat it like a museum to teach people about the items,” explained Robert.

A written display is placed beside the items to explain its historical context. Roberts said the mall also has several historians on staff who help research and create the info cards. 

“I can't change the past. I really hope that the conversations about the past can change the future. I would like a peaceful future,” added Robert.

Nazi memorabilia at Southworks Antiques in Galt on Nov. 8, 2023. (Sijia Liu/CTV Kitchener)

However, the Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center for Holocaust Studies (FSWC) said the sale of these artifacts is inappropriate and harmful.

“Education is often used as a fig leaf to defend the private profiting off difficult historical materials like Nazi memorabilia. I do not believe that refusing to sell Nazi items is erasing history because people are fully capable of learning about the genocide without owning Nazi memorabilia,” said Dan Panneton, FSWC’s director of allyship and community engagement.

The sale of Nazi items is not illegal but Panneton describes it as “lawful but awful.”

He would like to see Southworks Antiques remove the artifacts.

“Ideally, they would either donate it to a legitimate museum or just take it off the shelf and stop selling Nazi memorabilia,” said Panneton.

Nazi memorabilia at Southworks Antiques in Galt on Nov. 8, 2023. (Sijia Liu/CTV Kitchener)

The owner of the vendor booth containing Nazi memorabilia was not available for an interview. Southworks Antiques has not indicated any immediate plans to remove the items.

“I don't try to denounce anyone's feelings. I don't walk in anyone else's shoes. But if we start erasing things now, how many things are you going to take out of this mall? History is history and people are brutal,” Robert said.