An Israeli high school student was arrested and questioned by police for doing a Nazi salute during a school trip to Auschwitz, Israeli media reported on Sunday.

The teenager from Kiryat Bialik was on his school’s field trip to Poland when he did the gesture under the entrance sign to the camp.

He was questioned for two hours by Polish police and was fined approximately NIS 1,500 after security guards observed him performing the salute. The museum also captured the incident on its security cameras; the footage was handed over to the police.

Polish police charged him with promoting Nazism, local media reported. Performing a seig heil is illegal in Poland, and carries a potential sentence of up to two years in prison.

  • jsomae@lemmy.ml
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    15 hours ago

    I think most teenagers are not nearly so self-aware. Most people see things as in-group/out-group, simple as that. Doing a nazi salute was probably meant as am (ignorant) way to defy authority; teen most likely was not thinking about palestine at all.

    • melpomenesclevage@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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      14 hours ago

      it’s not defying authority, and you’re thinking of american teens. zios absolutely do. they sing songs about killing them in school as young children. this is not a defiance of authority, it’s perfectly acceptable in that culture. expected, even.

      • jsomae@lemmy.ml
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        13 hours ago

        No – nazi salutes are not acceptable in Israeli culture. Nazi salutes are the ultimate anti-semitic gesture. Why would those be “expected”?

        • melpomenesclevage@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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          8 hours ago

          you just said why. also, I’m pretty sure saying “from the river to the sea, palestine will be free” is the ultimate antisemitic gesture.