A group of masked demonstrators were seen waving Nazi flags in front of a production of “The Diary of Anne Frank” in Howell, Michigan, on Saturday.

Witnesses said five people were heard shouting racist and anti-Semitic slurs in the parking lot of American Legion Post 141, where the play about the young Holocaust victim was performed.

Veteran Bobby Brite, who shot the band’s video, told the Detroit ABC affiliate: WXYZ Participants in the game were shocked and frightened.

“There were 75 people downstairs watching the game, and 50 to 60 of those 75 people were afraid to leave this building. We had to escort them to their cars. No one in America should feel like that.” Brite, who said that he served in the army for 26 years, said:

Livingston County Sheriff Michael J. Murphy said they were called to respond to a “disturbance.” After demonstrators were asked to leave the property, they continued protesting across the street, at which point “a suspect approached them and an altercation ensued.”

“Nothing physically occurred and ultimately the parties involved separated,” Murphy said.

According to the Fowlerville Community Theatre, which performed the play, the audience and cast were notified of the incident during intermission.

“While some were understandably shaken, they recovered and finished the show strong and professionally,” the theater organization said in a statement. The statement was included.

The game continued and was replayed the next day without incident.

“This production focuses on real people who lost their lives in the Holocaust, and we tried to tell their stories as realistically as possible,” the community theater group said. “On Saturday evening, everything became more real than we expected; the presence of protesters outside gave us a small glimpse of the fear and uncertainty felt by those in hiding.”

“As a theatre, we want to make people feel and think,” the group continued. “We hope that by presenting Anne’s story we can help prevent the atrocities of the past from happening again.”

The Michigan chapter of the Anti-Defamation League condemned the incident in a statement about X.

“We are disgusted by right-wing extremists praising Hitler and waving Nazi flags in front of the American Legion hosting the ‘Diary of Anne Frank’ play, and we stand with American Legion 141 and @HowellTownship who know there is no hate. They “belong in their communities,” the ADL said .