Nazi reference during discussion of pandemic restrictions triggers dispute in Avon

With tensions high across the country about coronavirus restrictions and safety orders, a Republican school board member in Avon has come under fire for using the word “Nazis” while complaining about public health directives in France.

Democrats say Bogdan Oprica’s comments at a public forum about Connecticut’s rules were incendiary; Oprica said he never intended offense, and emphasized that he was talking about another country.

“His rhetoric was divisive and damaging — the crowd gasped when he said ‘Nazis,’ " said Dana Barcellos-Allen, vice chair of the Avon Democratic Town Committee and a member of the audience at the forum.

But Republican Town Chairman Randall Bowers had a different take on it, saying Democrats are merely trying to create division before the November municipal elections.

“The Democrats seem to be pushing toward creating controversy and manufacturing outrage. I don’t think that’s the kind of campaign Avon wants to see,” Bowers said.

The dispute set off a series of conflicting Facebook posts, and was the latest in a recent series of Connecticut controversies involving references to Nazis.

Republicans and Democrats in Southbury are condemning a banner that was put up briefly last weekend comparing Democrats to Nazis. In May, anti-mask protesters put up a sign outside a Portland school depicting the schools superintendent and board of education chair with Hitler-like mustaches.

In recent weeks, Colorado Democrats balked at conservative U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert’s Tweet describing public health workers conducting vaccination drives as “Needle Nazis.” Earlier, U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene criticized such workers in a Tweet as “medical brown shirts.”

Tensions over coronavirus restrictions ran high when the virus struck in early 2020, and have surged again this summer as the country faces a new wave because of the delta variant. Many conservative groups are balking at the possibility of reinstituted mask requirements, but also are fighting measures to press the public to get vaccinated.

In Connecticut, Gov. Ned Lamont has not reinstituted the restrictions of 2020, but has said all options remain on the table as the state’s infection rates and hospitalization numbers rise almost daily.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday reversed its position on masking, saying that even fully vaccinated Americans should resume masking indoors in places with high coronavirus transmission rates. The CDC is also backing mandatory masks for school children.

That has infuriated groups in Connecticut that are conducting “unmask our kids” campaigns to persuade public schools against requiring masks. Much of the complaints accuse state government of usurping individuals’ rights, and Nazi comparisons have become more common in social media debates.

At a forum last week hosted by state Rep. Tammy Exum and Rep. Eleni Kavros DeGraw, several people criticized state lawmakers for extending Lamont’s emergency powers and argued that the coronavirus emergency is over.

Oprica began to speak by saying he wanted to de-escalate the debate, but Barcellos-Allen said he quickly made a reference to Nazis.

“He talked about the restrictions in France, he said what was going on there was like the Nazis,” she said. “The crowd had a visceral reaction.”

Avon Democrats posted a Facebook message denouncing his comment, writing “There is absolutely no excuse for comparing the genocide, torture, and rape of millions of Jewish and other marginalized groups of people to protections put in place for public safety during a global pandemic.”

In a written statement this week, Oprica defended the comparison, saying French citizens had just drawn such parallels after their government imposed severe new restrictions. They compared those restrictions to policies enacted by Nazis during their occupation of France, Oprica said.

“To those who were unaware of these recent developments, the comparisons may have seemed out of context. It was not my intention to cause offense,” Oprica wrote in a statement on Facebook. “This comparison was not in reference to our public health measures.”

The Avon GOP wrote on Facebook “We are extremely disappointed that the Avon Democrats recently chose to begin this campaign season by posting an inaccurate and out-of-context story attacking an elected board member in a blatant attempt to generate controversy and distract from the real issues facing our town.”

But Barcellos-Allen said the election season isn’t a factor.

“When we hear someone making flippant statements using the term Nazi, we’re going to call that person out regardless,” she said.

“He’s an elected official working with policy and guidelines for children — we want him and his party to know that public officials should put in more thought or explain (their comments) in better context,” she said.

“We all want out of this. We all want the restrictions to be done,” she said. “But words matter, contexts matter. If officials are using terms that are hurtful, harmful or just inaccurate, we’d love to see some diversity, equity and inclusion training.”