Boys’ ‘Nazi’ salute draws ire on internet
A Wisconsin school district is investigating a photo of a group of high school boys giving what appears to be a Nazi salute, drawing a strong rebuke on social media.
Baraboo Superintendent Lori Mueller said she became aware of the photo yesterday after it was posted on social media.
The photo of more than 60 male students dressed in suits shows many with their right arm extended upward while posed on the steps of the Sauk County Courthouse.
Mueller did not say what occasion may have brought the students together, but said the photo appears to have been taken last spring. Mueller said it wasn’t taken on school grounds or at a school-sponsored event.
‘‘The school district is investigating this situation and is working with parents, staff and local authorities. If the gesture is what it appears to be, the district will pursue any and all available and appropriate actions, including legal, to address the issue,’’ Mueller said in a letter to parents and guardians.
The photo spread quickly on Twitter with the hashtag #barabooproud, which is often used by the district to promote its activities and athletic programs.
The Baraboo Police Department said it was assisting with the district’s investigation.
The photo drew widespread condemnation, including from the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum in Poland and a state senator who represents Baraboo, a town of about 12,000 residents that’s about 185km northwest of Milwaukee.
‘‘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 normalising and accommodating hatred,’’ the Auschwitz Memorial tweeted.