Nazi demonstrators protest the Anne Frank show at the Howell American Legion Hall

by Junna Base November 12, 2024

HOWELL TWP., Mich. (WILX) – Masked demonstrators with Nazi iconography protested an Anne Frank stage show in Howell on Saturday.

According to Livingston County Sheriff Michael Murphy, masked protesters drove into the parking lot of the American Legion Hall in Howell around 7:40 p.m

The demonstrators were protesting against a play about the life of Anne Frank, a Jewish girl who kept a detailed diary about her experiences during the Holocaust. Frank was one of six million Jewish people killed by the Nazis.

According to Sheriff Murphy, protesters were asked to leave the property, which they did, and instead protested across the street from the venue. The masked demonstrators waved Nazi flags. A person approached the group, an argument ensued, everyone separated without incident.

The play continued without any further problems.

Howell Community Theater released a statement in response to the anti-Semitic demonstrations:

“On Saturday evening, November 9, 2024, while performing the first act of The Diary of Anne Frank by Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett, we became aware of the presence of self-identified Nazi protesters in front of the American Legion Post# 141 . where we performed. When our production team became aware of this, they assessed the situation and consulted with American Legion personnel on duty. Staff were already monitoring the situation, reassuring us that it was under control and telling us that the protesters had been removed from the property and monitoring was continuing. Out of an abundance of caution, we have decided to notify the audience during intermission.

In this production, our actors were on stage as characters during the break and then found out about it. Although some were understandably shaken, they banded together and finished the performance with strength and professionalism.

As a theater we are storytellers. We tell stories that take the audience to other times and places – some real, some fantastic. At the heart of this production are real people who lost their lives in the Holocaust, and we have strived to tell their story as realistically as possible. On Saturday night things got more real than we expected; The presence of the protesters outside gave us a glimpse into the fear and insecurity of those in hiding.

As a theater we want to encourage people to feel and think. We hope that by telling Anne’s story we can help ensure that the atrocities of the past are not repeated.

“What has been done cannot be undone, but you can prevent it from happening again.”

-Anne Frank”

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