I'm putting this behind a cut due to anti-semitic and Nazi imagery and apologism for said anti-semitic imagery.

I am completely unfamiliar with the series myself, but in short, Axis Powers Hetalia is a webcomic/manga/anime series that depicts history in the form of personified countries. Here's The TVTropes page.

The fandom has been in the unfunny spotlight several times (see: a group of Hetalia cosplayers doing a Nazi salute at Anime Boston), and here's another mindblowing example.

I am not sure which character(s) these folks are cosplaying, but that's irrelevant in the face of the fact that they were photographed POINTING GUNS AT a depiction of a Star of David.

Let that sink in for a moment.

A Tumblr user named yumikarp, who has since deleted their entire Tumblr, has been quoted in reblogs defending said cosplayers:

This is called art.
I see nothing wrong in it, they are just living into their roles and doing what history has told. I have nothing against Jews, not at all, but I see nothing wrong in this because there is nothing wrong of it.
Sheesh, it’s like the over-religious people being all against that photographer woman who made pictures of Jesus being gay and having group sex. She didn’t do it without a meaning, and it wasn’t a racist meaning of any kind. It’s called art.
This is just the same.
These two people might actually be Jews themselves, who knows.
All they’re doing is making a scene of what history has told in the past.
The end.
Why take it so personal?
Why so serious?

One of the Cosplayers also tries to defend the photo as a "joke".

Hello, I’m Prussia in this photo.

This was just for a joke and very casual, because that place isn’t a church or anything related… just toilets’s park. LOL

The ORIGINAL pic is in Deviantart and mature CENSORED for obvious reasons. The other place is Photobucket, an album made for the ones that were in this photoshot. We didn’t want to offend anyone.

---

Impossible is nothing xDD Really I don’t care about what can people say about a photo that supposely we offense Jews, my mind is clear, since beginning that photo was just a joke, nothing serious and in a non-sacred place (oh well, maybe park’s toilets are sacred after a “bad meal” <33) Anyway <333 Relax yourself, if we have to be this point almost all hetalia’s fandom is historycally offensive. xDDD

Finally, and advertisment <333 ~ Use copyright in photos, because you’ll never expect who wants to fight or be a jerk <33

Because adding hearts and "XD" faces totally makes it better amirite?

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	harrylovesron 2011-07-03 03:39 am UTC (link)
	I work in one, too, so believe me, I know. g I mostly work behind-the-scenes, but my realtively-few dealings with the public are still enough to make me jaded and cynical. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	iamnotyourmuse 2011-07-03 03:44 am UTC (link)
	I love what I do 95% of the time. The other 5% is dealing with things most people don't believe could happen in a library. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	harrylovesron 2011-07-03 03:53 am UTC (link)
	That sums up my attitude quite nicely, yes. I feel lucky that I don't deal with the public directly much; some of the stories I've heard from people... (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

iamnotyourmuse
2011-07-03 04:03 am UTC (link)

Shopping bag full of urine? Sex in the restoom? Toddlers abandoned so their parents can check facebook on another floor? Typical week.

In the last month my two favorites were the dude who was scraping dead skin off his feet onto one of our tables, then called me crazy when I told him he had to keep his shoes on and then the dude who came in wearing just a pair of shorts and flip-flops and claimed the laundromat had lost all his clothes.

We don't need Hetalia cosplayers on top of that.

(Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

harrylovesron
2011-07-03 04:18 am UTC (link)

Yup, I never use the public restrooms at all if I can avoid it due to stuff like that- we have people who've tried to bathe in them before. I also avoid walking through the computer banks if I can help it at all because I got tired of people cussing me out because they couldn't be bothered to tear themselves away from Youtube/Facebook for 2 minutes and walk to the desk for help if they're having a problem. They'd just wave me over or yell for me if they saw me walking by.

One of my co-workers once came across a huge, smelly pile of shit on the floor in-between two shelves. Another time I smelled cat pee in one corner- not just a faint whiff, it actually smelt like a cat had come in and taken a piss there. Oh, and guys sexually harassing me is always lovely. [/sarcasm]

(Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	iamnotyourmuse 2011-07-03 04:26 am UTC (link)
	Oh yeah. I had a bizarre instance of a guy getting all up in my face about how we don't have enough men working in the library. He also seemed to be under the impression that we all make six figures. Isn't that adorable? (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	harrylovesron 2011-07-03 04:28 am UTC (link)
	So very much! Obviously everyone who works there knows how to do everyone else's job, too! (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	iamnotyourmuse 2011-07-03 04:31 am UTC (link)
	Clearly! Ah, library jobs. I wouldn't do it if I didn't love it. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	platedlizard 2011-07-04 03:24 am UTC (link)
	Ah, ~~library~~customer service* jobs. I wouldn't do it if I didn't ~~love it~~need the money.* FTFY /Unipooper, I don't miss you //blood splattered all over the batheroom from people shooting up, I don't miss you either ///finding an entire paper bag of used needles, I definitely don't miss that ////Memories~~! (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	full_metal_ox 2011-07-05 11:51 pm UTC (link)
	According to your user info, you live in Oregon; you guys had to deal with a Unipooper, too? (The one operating in the Dayton, Ohio area apparently disapproved of homosexuality, family planning, and the United Nations. He turned out to be the proprietor of a local religious bookstore.) (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	platedlizard 2011-07-06 02:19 am UTC (link)
	I don't think my Unipooper was making any deep political statements beyond "I'ma gonna poop in the middle of the men's floor and then smear the walls," so I don't think mine is related to yours. Some people just like to poop, apparently. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	full_metal_ox 2011-07-06 03:01 am UTC (link)
	The Dayton Unipooper would leave his...critical commentary...in books on the offending subjects for unwary readers to find. Along with a note proclaiming himself to be the guardian of community decency. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	bigbigtruck 2011-07-06 05:32 pm UTC (link)
	So he was publicly humilated for this, right? (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	full_metal_ox 2011-07-06 10:08 pm UTC (link)
	Happily, yes. (Reply to this)(Parent)

	full_metal_ox 2011-07-05 11:58 pm UTC (link)
	I once got to see a fistfight break out between two patrons, one of whom accused the other of stealing his TV set; two of the librarians--female, in response to Iamnotyourmuse's observation--managed to break it up and shoo the disputants outside to resolve their differences. Cushiest job ever, right? (Reply to this)(Parent)

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