A Texas business owner has gained widespread praise on social media after he refused to repair two World War II-era Hitler Youth knives brought in by Nazi sympathisers. Johnathan Sibley, co-owner of the Blade Bar in Edom, refused the request outright, and the entire incident was captured on video.
“Won’t re-Nazify anything”
The viral clip shows an unidentified couple entering the store around 1 p.m. local time, carrying two sheathed knives. Sibley, examining the items, asked what work they wanted done.
"I need the emblem out of that," the woman replied, pointing to a Nazi symbol on the handle, adding that she wanted it transferred onto another weapon.
Sibley immediately shut down the request. “Nope, won’t do it. Nope, you’ve got Nazi bullst,” he stated firmly. “If you wanted a modern German forestry seal or something in... I will de-Nazify st, but I won’t re-Nazify s**t.”
Watch the clip here:
The Hitler Youth was the Nazi Party’s youth organisation, designed to indoctrinate children into its ideology. After World War II, the group was declared illegal, and its symbols remain associated with Nazi atrocities.
Rabbi praises Sibley’s actions
{{/usCountry}}The Hitler Youth was the Nazi Party’s youth organisation, designed to indoctrinate children into its ideology. After World War II, the group was declared illegal, and its symbols remain associated with Nazi atrocities.
Rabbi praises Sibley’s actions
{{/usCountry}}Speaking about the incident, Sibley told CBS19: “I have spent more time on TikTok in the past three days than I have ever spent on TikTok cumulatively, and it’s not even watching videos, just trying to read and respond to comments.”
Rabbi Neal Katz of Congregation Beth El in Tyler applauded Sibley’s stance. “Shame on the people who walked in there,” he said. “We are literally watching parents or grandparents openly try to get paraphernalia that is offensive and disgusting. But they do it so brazenly.”
Social media applauds
The video, shared on Facebook, has amassed over 84,000 views, sparking heated discussions online.
(Also read: Anne Frank's Diary placed alongside Hitler and Gandhi autobiographies at Delhi bookstore: ‘Only in India’)
One user wrote, “This is the kind of moral courage we need to see more of. Good on him for standing his ground.”
Another commented, “Absolutely the right call! Some history is better left in museums, not glorified.”
A third added, “It’s shocking that people still try to normalise this stuff. Huge respect to Johnathan.”
A different user noted, “Imagine thinking this request would be okay in 2024. Disgusting.”
Another remarked, “This is what integrity looks like. He did the right thing.”