A war enthusiast who was snapped throwing a Nazi salute at Hitler’s retreat has now disclosed how he’s been given the cold shoulder by the World War 2 re-enactment group he once led.
Jim Keeling ended up in the eye of the storm last year after being photographed at a 1940s bash decked out as a Waffen SS officer with chums from the Eastern Front Living History Society (EFLHS). The 54-year-old faced a backlash, with accusations of being a Nazi sympathiser thrown at him, after a pic popped up of him saluting at Hitlers pad in the Bavarian Alps.
Diving instructor Mr Keeling, however, staunchly refutes any suggestions he’s a Nazi fan. On Friday he spilt the beans on getting the cold shoulder from the EFLHS due to “a difference of views” and declared he’s cutting ties with them.
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He also said he’s not going to rock up at a 1940s knees-up in Sheringham, Norfolk where the group have put the kibosh on Axis get-ups after last autumn’s fallout.
Mr Keeling from Bradwell, Norfolk, said he’s parted company with the group and “cut all ties.”
He said: “I have fallen out with many old friends from the group who hold beliefs I do not agree with.
“I shall not be attending the event, and I cannot speak for the rest of the group because I do not move in those circles anymore.
“I had to cut ties with them and do not want to be associated with them.”
Last September, the EFLHS found themselves in hot water with locals at the Sheringham 1940s weekend.
They were blasted by the public who claimed they were goose-stepping down the high street and banging out straight-arm salutes.
Last year, Mr Keeling’s political leanings were thrust into the spotlight after it was revealed he had visited Hitler’s old holiday home in the Bavarian Alps months before.
Snapped giving a Nazi salute towards the Berghof in Germany, he also posted an anti-Semitic cartoon on Instagram depicting a Jewish figure with a yarmulke skullcap, forcing Africa through an EU-marked funnel into Europe.
Mr Keeling, who teaches diving and is a dad to four, insisted he was taking the mickey out of Hitler with the salute and didn’t share his ideology.
His fascination with Nazi Germany has caused a rift with some relatives.
His eldest lad, Jeremy, slammed last year’s re-enactment in Sheringham as “disturbing” and urged event bosses to stop a repeat performance this year.
The Eastern Front Living History Group, which hasn’t updated its Facebook page in nearly 12 months, has been approached for a statement by SWNS.
Previously, the group said their role at the Sheringham 1940s weekend was taken the wrong way.
They claimed they’d been to past events without any fuss and that they don’t stand for “any politics or any form of religious persecution”.
Their goal, they say, is to school folks on history, and they reckon many in the town valued their contribution.
The group recreates the actions of the 5th SS Division Wiking (Viking), a unit that was made up of recruits from countries such as Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Finland. This division, led by German officers, battled against the Soviet Red Army on the Eastern Front and has been implicated in war crimes against Jews.
Amid chaotic scenes, police and event marshals had to escort them back to their camp for their own safety and they were requested not to come back. In response to this incident, the organisers have now implemented a ban on Axis uniforms for the upcoming event, set to commence on September 20.
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