‘Etna is for everyone’: community comes together in response to neighbor flying Nazi flag

ETNA BOROUGH, Pa. — A flag with a Nazi symbol flying over a man’s house in Etna angered a community when Channel 11 did a story, but what they did following that story is not what you would expect.

“People in the community fly all sorts of flags. Depending on your values or political leanings, you may find them mildly (offensive). But we think the swastika is a different level,” said Megan Tunon with the Etna Community Organization.

Tunon said it’s a symbol of hate, and while the first amendment keeps the flag flying, the community is fighting back in its own way.

“We created yard signs that we dispersed to the community that say ‘Etna is for everyone.’ Just to demonstrate to our neighbors that they belong here, they are included, and they are loved,” Tunon said.

Everyone is welcome in Etna is the campaign. The group bought 200 signs that are now spread throughout the community from front lawns to business windows.

“All too often, it’s brushed aside or swept under the rug. That leaves room for hate, discrimination to rise in a community. This is our way of saying this is not going to take place here,” Tunon said.

Outside the signs, the organization has hosted virtual meetings involving different religions and stakeholders stretching farther than this one small town.

“It makes people afraid, and we don’t want people to feel that way. Especially since people in those marginalized group have to feel that way all the time. But if this is your home, it should be the one place you should supported and safe,” Tunon said.

The goal is to keep this conversation going and expand it into other equity projects in the town. As for the signs, they plan to keep handing them out and displaying them with pride.

Allegheny County community outraged by swastika found flying in neighborhood

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