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New York State Sen. Peter Oberacker once celebrated his Nazi grandfather. The New York State Senate<\/p>\nAn upstate New York congressional candidate honored his grandfather, who served in Nazi Germany\u2019s military under Adolf Hitler, in a bizarre resurfaced Veterans Day post.<\/p>\n
Republican State Sen. Peter Oberacker shared an image of his grandfather, Ludwig Oberacker, clad in a Nazi military uniform, including a German eagle clutching a swastika wreath in its talons and another swastika badge, in a Nov. 11, 2015, Facebook post that was first reported by Politico.<\/p>\n
\u201cI debated on whether to post this picture, my Grandfather [sic] Ludwig Oberacker who gave his life for his country, I salute all who served,\u201d he captioned in the since-deleted post.<\/p>\n
New York State Sen. Peter Oberacker once celebrated his Nazi grandfather. The New York State Senate<\/p>\n
Oberacker, who served on the state Senate\u2019s Republican antisemitism working group, told the outlet he posted the old photo to acknowledge \u201cthere were veterans of all conflicts.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLook, war sucks. Plain and simple, it really does. And to have my dad grow up without his father is just, you know, it really changed him,\u201d the lawmaker, who is looking to unseat Democratic Rep. Josh Riley in the state\u2019s 19th Congressional District, explained.<\/p>\n
He looks at the picture differently now in light of mounting antisemitism, <\/a>he said.<\/p>\n \u201cLooking at it through the prism of today, totally different story. Having been on the antisemitism task force for the Senate Republicans, I would look at it a little bit differently now,\u201d he admitted to the outlet.<\/p>\n The local pol proposed legislation expanding the definition of harassment to include Nazi symbols<\/a> in March 2024 after the Republican antisemitism working group unveiled a report.<\/p>\n But the photograph is not the first antisemitism controversy to touch Oberacker.<\/p>\n Bobby Walker, who was set to become Oberacker\u2019s campaign manager, was exposed by Politico<\/a> when Young Republicans leaders took part in group chat that praised Hitler, joked about rape and featured racial slurs.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\tStart your day with all you need to know\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMorning Report delivers the latest news, videos, photos and more.\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\tThanks for signing up!\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n Oberacker sacked Walker following the October 2025 bombshell report.<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/germany\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/i-grandfather-served-nazis-wwii-138182616.jpg\")
Oberacker wrote: \u201cI salute all who served\u201d beneath a picture of his Nazi grandfather. Peter Orbacker<\/p>\n