Verboten! Nazi re-enactment is axed over equality laws... even though no one’s complained
ONCE a year for more than a decade, visitors to the tiny Yorkshire village of Levisham have been in for a shock.
German soldiers in 1940s uniforms patrol the streets and guard the railway station, loudly demanding to see travellers’ papers.
The village, population 100, has been transformed into ‘Le Visham’, a vision of France under Nazi occupation, as part of a three-day event run by the North York Moors Railway that attracts thousands of tourists.
But this year’s re-enactment has been cancelled – because organisers fear it could breach equality laws and cause offence, even though it is understood there has not been a single complaint.
The decision has sparked outrage. History enthusiast Lee Hayward, 44, a past visitor, said: ‘This is a disgrace. My kids were fascinated and educated.
‘To be asked for my papers, in German, when I got off the train was a real palpable shock. It immediately transported myself and whole family into what it must have been like living in occupied France, and made us grateful for the sacrifice made for the freedoms we currently have. You can’t expunge history.’
Brenda Stripe, from York, said: ‘How are the young people supposed to learn about history if we are not able to teach them in case someone is offended. This is taking political correctness too far.’
Gloria Biggs added: ‘The weekend has been very successful – if people are offended, stay away.’
The railway, which has been running its re-enactment weekends for 25 years, claims media coverage last year showed the Levisham event in a negative light, which could put people off.
‘As a public charity we cannot ignore the media’s portrayal and so it is with considerable regret the unanimous decision was that the invitation to the re-enactment group would be withdrawn,’ it said. ‘ Expectations currently reflected in the recent Equalities Act mean that the charity must avoid causing offence to any section of the public.’
Neil Robertson, who helped design the Nazi ‘invasions’, which have taken place for 12 years, said: ‘Both the re-enactment community and the station volunteers are saddened by the board’s decision, but we respect it.’ He strongly denied with any re-enactors Nazi cause. sympathised Local county councillor Janet Sanderson said: ‘It has grown greatly in recent years. It began as a bit of fun and now we have people attending who travel from war re- enactment to war re- enactment. To some people it could be offensive, though it wasn’t to begin with. You do get comments from some such as, “My father fought in the war, what right do they have to wear that uniform?”’ Levisham will instead stage a different war-themed event as part of October’s Railway In Wartime weekend, which sees each station on the line given a period makeover, including Home Guard demonstrations at Goathland and a replica Spitfire at Grosmont. Tory grandee Lord Tebbit, 87, who campaigns against political correctness, said: ‘My generation was bombed as schoolchildren during the war and I don’t see anything offensive about this re-enactment.
‘I can only describe the decision to stop it as inane, half baked.’ Any complaints would be from ‘people looking for an occasion to be offended’, he added.