Long Sutton antiques dealer defends sale of Hitler items

A Long Sutton antique dealer has been accused of showing “very poor taste” after stocking framed photographs of the notorious Nazi Germany leader Adolf Hitler.

David Whitwell, who opened Long Sutton Antique Centre 20 years ago, was criticised in a letter by customer Nick Dellow who visited the store in London Road with his mother from Gedney Dyke last month.

Mr Dellow and his mother are reading way too much into it and their complaint seems very strange to me

In a letter to the Lincolnshire Free Press, Mr Dellow said: “While looking at a number of interesting items, I picked up a framed photograph and was shocked to see that it was of Adolf Hitler.

“Not only that, but as we reached the shop counter, I noticed another larger photograph of Adolf Hitler in a frame, also being offered for sale.

“We were really quite amazed and shocked that a shop would be displaying and selling framed photographs of Adolf Hitler. Selling original photographs of Hitler is bad enough, but these were simply cheap reproductions and we couldn’t understand why they were being offered for sale in such a blatant way.

“Most people, regardless of their background, would find the selling of such photographs in very poor taste.”

But Mr Whitwell said: “We got the photographs from a house clearance and put them out, like everything else, for no other purpose than to sell.

“It’s not the sort of thing you would put in a bin because there are people who collect anything and everything.

“Mr Dellow and his mother, who saw the photographs in the shop, are reading way too much into it and their complaint seems very strange to me.”

• Is Mr Dellow over-reacting or are the photographs in ‘very poor taste’?

Email your views to jeremy.ransome@iliffepublishing.co.uk

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