German amusement park shuts down new ride which looks like Hitler-era swastika symbol
An amusement park in Germany was forced to close its new ride called Eagle Fly after people expressed outrage over the similarity of its appearance to "flying swastikas." The ride's controversial resemblance was reported by guests to Tatzmania theme park in Löffingen shortly after its debut.
The park reportedly unveiled the ride at the end of July, featuring one long arm with two spinning carriages at each end. The ride, because of the four seats on each of the spinning carriage arm, resembles a swastika when it rotates.
A video of the controversial ride was posted on Reddit with multiple forum users gawking at the mistake made by the amusement park. One of the users wrote: "You really do not have the words. Something like that would have to be banned."
Shortly after the outrage, the owner of the amusement park, Rüdiger Braun, released a statement saying he did not realize the resemblance until the video began doing the rounds on social media. "I'd like to stress how sorry we are to anyone who has felt at all insulted by this design," he told SWR.
While a guest at the park said: "Of course you have to watch what you make, this is a very sensitive area," according to the Sun. Reports state that the ride will be redesigned to make it more appropriate for the users.
Under the German Criminal Code Section 86(A), it is illegal in the country to bear or display Nazi symbols and propaganda such as swastikas. The section states that the "use of symbols of unconstitutional organizations" is prohibited, with punishments up to three years for those found guilty of the crime.
A British tourist was horrified last month after she found Hitler and Nazi-adorned mugs and souvenirs on sale at a shop in Italy. The tourist, identified as Angela Thompson, posted images of the mugs and souvenirs online as social media users called it "sick" and "disgusting." Similarly, a shop in London was forced to remove t-shirts promoting "Hitler's European Tour." The t-shirts were reportedly being sold just miles away from buildings that were destroyed during the war, according to reports.