Wisconsin district investigating photo of students giving Nazi salute before school dance
A Wisconsin school district is investigating a photo of high school students appearing to give the Nazi salute before their school’s prom.
The picture shows dozens of students doing the one-arm Nazi salute in a picture from Baraboo High School’s spring 2018 prom, according to Madison 365.
{mosads}The news outlet said the photo was first published on the website of a local motorcycle photographer Peter Gust.
It was later posted on Twitter by the account @GoBaraboo on Sunday night, and has since gone viral. A tweet about the picture from a Vice News contributor has garnered about 6,500 retweets as of Monday morning.
The original tweet, which featured the caption, “we even got the black kid to throw it up,” has since been deleted.
If anybody from Baraboo High School in Wisconsin can clue me in on why it appears the entire male class of 2018 is throwing up a Sig Heil during their prom photos – that would be great.
Jordan Blue, a student pictured in the photo refusing to go along with his classmates, said that a photographer asked for the students to make the sign.
“I couldn’t leave the photo as it was taken within five seconds,” Blue told a Vice News contributor. “The photographer took the photos telling us to make the sign. I knew what my morals were and it was not to salute something I firmly didn’t believe in.”
I spoke with the only student who is visibly not comfortable with the “salute”, he provided this statement. pic.twitter.com/HbNBc8xLOK
— Jules Suzdaltsev (@jules_su) November 12, 2018
Blue also denounced the actions, saying that “I truly and firmly believe we need to make a change to this horrible act, it needs to stop.”
Baraboo School District Administrator Lori Mueller said on Twitter that the district is now investigating the incident.
“The photo of students posted to #BarabooProud is not reflective of the educational values and beliefs of the School District of Baraboo,” Mueller tweeted. “The District will pursue any and all available and appropriate actions, including legal, to address.”
The photo of students posted to #BarabooProud is not reflective of the educational values and beliefs of the School District of Baraboo. The District will pursue any and all available and appropriate actions, including legal, to address.
— Lori M. Mueller (@LoriMMueller) November 12, 2018
The school district did not immediately respond to a request for further comment.
The Baraboo Police Department said it is “aware of a controversial photo” and that it is assisting the district in its investigation.
The Baraboo Police Department is aware of a controversial photo of a group of high school students that has been posted to social media. Officers are assisting the Baraboo School District with their investigation into this matter.
— Baraboo PD (@BarabooPD) November 12, 2018
The photo, featuring dozens of students who appear to be laughing, has led to swift backlash.
The Auschwitz Memorial condemned the photo, saying that this is why “every single day we work hard to educate.”
“We need to explain what is the danger of hateful ideology rising,” the group wrote from its official Twitter account. “Auschwitz with its gas chambers was at the very end of the long process of normalizing and accommodating hatred.”
It is so hard to find words…
This is why every single day we work hard to educate. We need to explain what is the danger of hateful ideology rising. Auschwitz with its gas chambers was at the very end of the long process of normalizing and accommodating hatred. https://t.co/13AzZaMGJR
— Auschwitz Memorial (@AuschwitzMuseum) November 12, 2018
–This report was updated at 3:20 p.m.
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