A Pennsylvania man is facing felony and misdemeanor charges after allegedly calling a Catholic school and threatening to turn it into a concentration camp after an incident where the school’s parade float included a prop resembling the entrance of Auschwitz.
The Hanover Evening Sun reported that Joseph William Gilleo II allegedly called St. Joseph Catholic Church in Hanover Nov. 1 and left a voicemail, labeling officials at the parish’s affiliated school “Nazi sympathizers” and saying “maybe we should turn your little school into a concentration camp.”
According to the outlet, Gilleo added that it is “maybe time to persecute you religious (expletive) nuts like the psychopaths you are.” He reportedly said, “Your children are now in danger” and God “will not save you from what happens next.”
As CatholicVote previously reported, St. Joseph Catholic School’s float in the town’s Halloween parade had included an archway with the words “Arbeit Macht Frei,” which means “Work Makes You Free” in German. The words had appeared in several Nazi concentration camps, including Auschwitz.
According to the Hanover Evening Sun, Penn Township police charged Gilleo with felony counts of ethnic intimidation and terroristic threats to cause serious public inconvenience. Police additionally charged him with the misdemeanors of disorderly conduct and harassment. He has not yet been arraigned on the charges.
CatholicVote reported that Bishop Timothy Senior of the Diocese of Harrisburg issued an apology for the float, saying, “As Catholics, we stand firmly against all forms of antisemitism, hatred, and prejudice, which are rampant in our society.”
The float’s designer also apologized, saying that he had “no ill intent” and that he was unaware of the phrase’s implications.
