I suspect in the case of the older couple, I would have said "excuse me, but I found your comments to be very offensive." Then, I would have left.
In the case of the inebriated younger ones, I would have simply left without saying anything.

Must be a damn long party since Hitler's birthday is still four weeks out (20.04.).
I guess you've got something wrong with the celebration because being a little over-sensitive. Young Brits celebrating somebodys goals might sound strange to US-Americans with no ties to football. The day you are refering to has been a regular day for the UK Premier League with high class matches (eg ManCity-Chelsea).

Always easy to think of a witty remark later, but it would have been amusing had you said "No, no---in fact he was actually targeting senile elderly citizens. Be careful my dears.

So which football club or player is called Hitler?

Celebrating "somebody's goals" doesn't sound strange at all. Celebrating "Hitler's goals" is the alarming part.

I would have definitely said something to the couple discussing the French gunman/terrorist. Supporting terrorist's or justifying their actions is one thing I do not put up with. I don't care what the consequences would be.

OP did not mention a celebration of "Hitler's goals" but "toasting Hitler's birthday" and "his goals". Since even hardcore German Neonazis wouldn't bother to celebrate that four weeks ahead this seems to be a clear case of either very bad British education or getting someting wrong with the name. My vote goes to the latter.

This would be me as well, at least in the first case.

Not sure about the second... could be that they were talking about a friend... and not Adolph Hitler.

I probably wouldn't say anything. With the young people, I would take comfort in the fact that they are too stupid to even know when Hitler's birthday is.

what goal exactly? I guess they rather speak German ? :)


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Sea_Lion

ah no,not really, just wait long enough until someone decides that they want a conflict with YOU ,then we will see :)

I would rather say that we can choose to bury our heads in the sand and not complain about the world we live in, or speak up

as Jesus said "I come not to bring peace, but to bring a sword" , change cant come out of peace I am afraid (and I am atheist so....)

That's not the topic of this tread.
Of course, if someone is in your face and you have to defend yourself, then you may have to do so, and fight as best you can, keeping in mind that there is a difference between self defense and assault and battery. If you are the perpetrator, you will perhaps be engaged in some very long legal ramifications.

As to the thread topic, I personally ignore conversation that I am not directly a part of while in public places. And to THIS point, life can be full of conflict or peace. And thus the choice is yours.

Like I said and to reiterate, attitudes like this can't be tolerated.

Life will be very full of peace until these same people making these statements support attitudes/policies/wars that affect YOU , then there will be no peace and it will also be VERY late for speaking up.

Once you bury your head in the same is indeed very full of peace.

The choice to bury the head in the sand is indeed personal (comfortable and also convenient.....unless of course you are the one that just went down)

ps. it seems you misunderstood what I meant by "a conflict with YOU", by "You" I dont mean you personally, I am simply saying that this type of myopic statements "who cares they were jews" can easily be replaced by "who cares they were americans" or "they were christians" or etc etc etc. thats what I meant by "you" , I didnt mean a 'personal' conflict, I meant the ones that eventually lead to genocide/wars/terrorism etc

if someone says something that offends me personally, I will probably say something, if they want to have private conversations.....they can have it at their own place if they desire privacy and no interference

They can and should be tolerated. People have to be free to be racists if they so choose. If they aren't it won't be long before one isn't free to be a Christian (some think Christians are bigots) or a Muslim (some think all Muslims are terrorists), or anything else that one could find offense with.

I find the attitude as distasteful as you but the fact is they were just conversations at a table and no one was being physically threatened. And if someone is insane enough to support attitudes/policies/wars that would endanger Jewish people then there's no way a sentence or two from a complete stranger in a restaurant would do anything to change their mind.

The mature here are able to look at the situation and weigh whether or not saying anything would make a difference. That's not burying your head in the sand. It's just being smart.

I did like the idea about mentioning Hitler targeting the elderly to the older couple as one is walking out because it's possible it would provoke thought. Most likely though it would just cause them to roll their eyes and curse the rude person who was eavesdropping on their conversation.

by 'not tolerated' I dont mean forcefully suppressed

I mean confronted with reason and not dutifully accepted

if being quiet about "who cares they are just targetting jews" is "smart" , I will have to be stupid (noone is being physically threatened but well, its just 'jews' so if it happens tomorrow ....its not a big deal either.....right? its condoned by these two and perhaps overheard by more who may even agree)

I really could care less about someone rolling their eyes at me, if they dont want their conversation to be heard they can do so in a private place (specially after suggesting a homicide is irrelevant to them as it is not of their ethnicity/imaginary friend club)

I dont know for sure if a random sentence from a stranger in a restaurant will change their minds or not, you dont know that either.

I actually find it interesting, alarming and offensive that being quiet about a statement like this involving homicides is being labeled as 'smart', it may be convenient and safe but smart?????

and just in case, I am not jew, I am atheist and a latino aka brown.

**shutting up now** :)

When I said "smart" I was mainly thinking of myself (a small, female, solo traveler) who will be travelling in Germany later this year. No way I would approach a group af drunk Neo-nazis to give them a piece of my mind. With regards to the elderly couple, like I said I would be tempted, but it would depend on my reading of the situation. In my experience, saying something won't change a d-mn thing.