Police were called after an auctioneer hoisted a NAZI flag in his window to promote a World War Two sale.<br /><br />The flag, featuring a black swastika against the Austrian red-and-white triband, is going under the hammer on September 30.<br /><br />Saturday Auction House in Blackminster, Evesham, Worcs., expect it to fetch around £500.<br /><br />Auctioneer Trevor Williamson says the 3ft by 5ft flag was seized by British troops in World War Two and kept as a souvenir.<br /><br />The flag was passed down through the soldier's family before a relative decided to sell it.<br /><br />The upcoming auction has sparked controversy among locals after Mr Williamson put the flag in the shop window.<br /><br />Johanna Anderson, 44, was one of those who saw the flag on her way to a nearby spinning and weaving shop last Saturday (2/9).<br /><br />She said: “I pulled up on the car park, looked up and thought ‘wait, what?’<br /><br />“Someone I know came over and I had to ask if she was seeing the same thing as me. It was overlooking the car park and pretty hard to miss.<br /><br />“I have an elderly Jewish friend I meet there and was glad she wasn’t there that day as her family were killed in the holocaust.<br /><br />“It turns out the flag had been there a week already - she had seen it and had reported it to the police.<br /><br />“I don’t have family that were directly impacted but seeing it had a strong emotional impact on me. <br /><br />“If it was in a museum it would be different but this was completely without context.”<br /><br />The flag was removed on Monday (4/9) after a complaint was made to West Mercia Police.<br /><br />Mr Williamson said: “We have been instructed to sell the flag as part of an estate sale in the usual manner. <br /><br />“As auctioneers, we act as agents and do not uphold or subscribe to any political movement or regime.<br /><br />"It’s regrettable that the action of temporarily displaying the flag has caused offence. <br /><br />“We have replied to the five persons who have raised objection and advised that the flag has been removed.<br /><br />"There are two sides to the rationale to consider here; On one hand and without argument, the Nazi flag is divisive but remains as a stark reminder of the darkest and most abhorrent period in human history, a period that should not be forgotten and never repeated.<br /><br />"On the other, this artefact is of significant importance having been captured by British troops during World War Two, and in this context represents victory over fascism.<br /><br />“We had put the flag in the window for a week and when police came to see us they advised us to remove it.<br /><br />“They said they couldn’t force us to take it down but we decided it was best to. Context is everything in cases like this.”<br /><br />A spokesperson for West Mercia Police said: “On Sunday, September 3 we received a report of a business on Blackminster Business Park in Evesham displaying an <br />offensive flag.<br /><br />“Officers visited the business on Monday and after discussions with the owners the flag was removed.”
