German army apologises for fashion post on Nazi uniform
THE German defence ministry apologised yesterday for posting an image of a Nazi-era uniform on social media as an example of “retro fashion”.
The uniform, complete with three swastikas, was posted on the armed forces’ Instagram account with a flashing colourful banner that read: “Retro.”
A second, more detailed caption read: “Also #fashion is an aspect. To this day there are military-style elements in haute couture.”
The post was greeted with shock and anger in Germany. Gen Hans-lothar Domröse, a former Nato commander, described it as “just plain tasteless”, while Florian Hahn, an MP from the Bavarian sister party to Angela Merkel’s CDU, called it a “sorry post that should never have happened”.
“A uniform with swastikas is never just fashion or ‘retro’, but a reminder of the crimes of the Nazi regime,” Cem Özdemir of the German Green party told Bild newspaper. The picture was swiftly deleted and a spokesman for the defence ministry apologised unreservedly for what he called an “unacceptable mistake”.
The uniform, featuring a Nazi eagle and swastika insignia, as well as two
Iron Crosses from the era both bearing swastikas, is reportedly a prop from the 2008 Tom Cruise film Valkyrie.
The defence spokesman said the picture was posted on Instagram by a civilian employee who claimed he had used the wrong photograph by mistake, and described it as an “extremely annoying case of thoughtlessness”.