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   Hong Kong store's Nazi theme sparks fury

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Topic: Hong Kong store's Nazi theme sparks fury (Read 325 times)

Rhune
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Hong Kong store's Nazi theme sparks fury
« on: Aug 10^th, 2003, 1:46pm »

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HK store's Nazi theme sparks fury
Sunday, August 10, 2003 Posted: 3:33 AM EDT (0733 GMT)

HONG KONG, China (AP) -- German and Israeli diplomats have lashed out at a Hong Kong fashion company for using swastikas and other Nazi party symbols in a clothing line and to decorate its chain of stores.

The firm, which calls itself http://www.izzue.com., produced a range of T-shirts and pants with Nazi symbols printed on them. One T-shirt has a portrait of Nazi leader Adolf Hitler standing on a laurel.

Red banners with white swastikas on top of iron crosses hung Saturday from the ceilings of some of the firm's 14 stores. The banners also carried a sign that resembled the symbol of the Third Reich: an eagle above a swastika. One branch broadcast Nazi propaganda films on a wall with a projector.

"It's totally inappropriate because these symbols of the Nazi regime stand for cruelty and crimes against humanity," a vice consul of the German Consulate General in Hong Kong said on condition of anonymity. "These symbols brought a lot of pain not only over Europe, but over the whole world. ... It's definitely not the way to promote clothes."

The diplomat urged the public to boycott the shops.

The company's marketing manager, Deborah Cheng, said the Nazi-themed decorations and clothes were not intended to cause an outcry and may be withdrawn. She said the company had received a few complaints from customers.

"We're seriously considering removing the displays. But before we take them off, we have to find a replacement," she said.

Cheng added that the designer wanted the clothes to have a military theme and did not realize that the Nazi symbols would be considered offensive.

Staff at one of the stores tried to stop an Associated Press photographer from taking pictures of the shop and tied up the lower part of the banners to hide the Nazi symbols.

Israeli Consul-General Eli Avidar said the consulate has received dozens of complaints about the displays in the past two days, the South China Morning Post newspaper reported on its front-page Saturday.

"People were furious, hurt and shocked that such a thing could happen," Avidar was quoted as saying. "It is unbearable to think that anyone can design a marketing campaign that desecrates the deaths of millions of people."

Phone calls by the Asssociated Press to the Israeli Consulate General in Hong Kong went unanswered.

In April, soft drink giant Coca-Cola pulled a promotional robot figurine adorned with what appeared to be Nazi swastikas following criticism from a Jewish leader in Hong Kong.

And in July last year Hong Kong coffee chain Pacific Coffee was forced to apologise after its stores used a quote from Hitler for is chalkboard "Thought for the day" spot.

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MzWings
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Re: Hong Kong store's Nazi theme sparks fury
« Reply #1 on: Aug 10^th, 2003, 5:41pm »

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I wonder - in Hong Kong don't they have to have a business license? How did they think they could get away with something so vile?

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luci
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Re: Hong Kong store's Nazi theme sparks fury
« Reply #2 on: Aug 10^th, 2003, 5:56pm »

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so sad

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Pocket
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Re: Hong Kong store's Nazi theme sparks fury
« Reply #3 on: Aug 10^th, 2003, 6:27pm »

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These people need to read history. It's not right to profit from a symbol of such evil.

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david
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Re: Hong Kong store's Nazi theme sparks fury
« Reply #4 on: Aug 11^th, 2003, 2:41pm »

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You think they would know anything to do with Nazi Party will get negative response

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Red
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Re: Hong Kong store's Nazi theme sparks fury
« Reply #5 on: Aug 12^th, 2003, 12:36am »

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Like the article said...it's not the first time that it's happened...I remember all the fuss made with the restaurant when it hit hte headlines in Japan...Personally I think everything to do with WWII - if done for any other reason than to remember and learn...it's distasteful...it's promoting hatred and isn't teaching the younger generations about the atrocities of war - rather it's glorifying it - a scary proposition in today's world

**note** You do have to watch when you think you see a swastikaand not jump to conclusions...there is a Buddhist symbol (they usually use it on maps to symbolize a temple or monastary) that is like a mirror image of the Nazi version and it's a peaceful thing and certainly older and has more history than the nazi version

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azure
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Re: Hong Kong store's Nazi theme sparks fury
« Reply #6 on: Aug 12^th, 2003, 9:35am »

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when my brother moved into his home a few years back, his hard wood floors had a small pattern in the one corner of a swastica. Apparently way back when this figure represented luck. Very ironic is it not?

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david
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Re: Hong Kong store's Nazi theme sparks fury
« Reply #7 on: Aug 12^th, 2003, 10:15am »

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Luck!!!!!! Shocked

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azure
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Re: Hong Kong store's Nazi theme sparks fury
« Reply #8 on: Aug 12^th, 2003, 10:59am »

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I know, very strange I know my brother and his wife were not at all comfortable having it as part of the hard wood floors

« Last Edit: Aug 12^th, 2003, 11:02am by azure »

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Red
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Re: Hong Kong store's Nazi theme sparks fury
« Reply #9 on: Aug 13^th, 2003, 12:33am »

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was it a nazi one or a mirror image of it - there is a major difference as I pointed out before ... Unfortunately because it's not well-known everyone assumes that they're the same and have the same meanings/connotations

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username
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Re: Hong Kong store's Nazi theme sparks fury
« Reply #10 on: Aug 13^th, 2003, 7:13am »

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Hey. That's where I live. I'd never believe that such a thing could happen here. I'm very disappointed.

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Red
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Re: Hong Kong store's Nazi theme sparks fury
« Reply #11 on: Aug 13^th, 2003, 8:23am »

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Just found this and thought I'd add it...

SWASTIKA

design: an equilateral cross with arms bent at right angles, all in the same rotary direction, usually clockwise. The Hindu and Buddhist swastika goes in the opposite direction.

meaning: a symbol of prosperity and good fortune, a sun symbol of universality.

derivation: from the Sanskrit swastika: "conducive to well-being." In India, a distinction is made between the right-hand swastika which moves in a clockwise direction and the left-hand swastika ( more correctly called sauswatika), which moves in a counterclockwise direction. The right hand swastika is a solar symbol and imitates in the rotation of its arms the course of the Sun, which in the Northern hemisphere appears to pass from east then south to west. The left-hand swastika more often stands for might the terrifying goddess Kali and magical practice.

In India , Hindus use the swastika to mark the opening pages of account books, thresholds, doors, and offerings. Among the Jains it is the emblem of their seventh Tirthankara.

In the Buddhist tradition, the swastika symbolizes the feet or footprints of the Buddha and is often used to mark at the beginning of texts. Modern Tibetan Buddhism uses it as a clothing decoration. With the spread of Buddhism, it has passed into the iconography of China and Japan where it has been used to denote plurality, abundance, prosperity and long life.

In Nazi Germany, the swastika (G: Hakenkreuz) it became a national symbol. A poet, and nationalist ideologist Guido von List had suggested it as a symbol for all anti-Semitic organizations and when the National Socialist party was formed in 1919 -20 it adopted it. On Sept. 5, 1935, a black swastika on a white circle on a red background became the national flag of Germany. This use ended in May 1945 with the German surrender.

Other uses of the symbol: in ancient Mesopotamia it was a favorite symbol on coinage, In Scandinavia it was the symbol for the god Thor's hammer.. In early Christian art it was called the gammadion cross because it was made of four gammas. It is also found in Mayan and Navajo art.

from http://www.cs.mcgill.ca/~preety/history/swastika.html

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azure
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Re: Hong Kong store's Nazi theme sparks fury
« Reply #12 on: Aug 14^th, 2003, 8:45am »

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I am sure it was the one intended for luck, however like you said red, most people are not aware that there is a difference. Including myself! Cheesy

thanks for sharing

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Red
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Re: Hong Kong store's Nazi theme sparks fury
« Reply #13 on: Aug 14^th, 2003, 9:33am »

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lol no problem...anything to educate others and get rid of ideas and myths that arent right!

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