The Holocaust Museum Asks Visitors To Please Stop Catching Pokemon At Its Location

The Pokémon GO epidemic is real, guys. Since the anticipated app was officially released in several countries, gamers have struggled to turn off the augmented reality game which allows fans to catch any of the original 150 pokémon they want. The creatures are everywhere gamers go, but apparently, there’s one place that wants gamers to put away their phones: The Holocaust Museum.

The Holocaust Museum doubles as one of Pokémon GO’s ‘PokéStops’ which players can visit to get free items in-game such as pokéballs and even eggs. There are apparently several different stops located within various parts of the museum, and players have apparently been taking advantage of the area’s perks. Unsurprisingly, the memorial is not too pleased with the development.

“Playing the game is not appropriate in the museum, which is a memorial to the victims of Nazism,” explained Andrew Hollinger, the museum’s Communications Director. “We are trying to find out if we can get the museum excluded from the game.”

Several screen-grabs have been taken by players which showcase the awkward situations they’ve found pokémon in the museum. One particular photo shows a player allegedly encountering a Koffing, a poisonous creature who emits plumes of toxic gas. The pokémon was found by the museum’s sign for the Helena Rubinstein Auditorium which contains dozens of testimonials from Jews who managed to survive the Holocaust’s horrific gas chambers. The original picture, however, has been deleted since from Imgur.

While the Holocaust Museum does welcome technology and even encourages visitors to share their visits on social media, they’re decidedly against Pokémon GO‘s presence. For them, the game “falls very much outside” of their educational views on technology.

The Holocaust Museum is not the only sensitive area that’s been inundated by pokémon. Some players have shared experiences of finding pocket monsters at New York’s 9/11 Memorial, but officials there have not commented on the game’s presence as of yet. Other players have found their homes turned into Pokémon GO locations, but most have been unable to remove their address’ from the game as Niantic hasn’t provided fans a way to petition for the removal of PokéStop or Gyms.