Saul Rosenthal: American student stabbed by classmate for telling him not to draw swastika on his own forehead
BANGKOK, THAILAND: A 22-year-old American boy, Saul Jeremiah Tambago Rosenthal, was killed by his Thai-Filipino friend 'Set' after the friend allegedly drew a Nazi swastika on his own forehead in the Thai capital on Monday, August 28.
Rosenthal had been drinking with Set at a restaurant in Bangkok when he told him not to draw the German wartime symbol on his own forehead before Set allegedly stabbed the American, per Daily Mail.
The event occurred on August 28 in front of No. 70 on Soi Lat Phrao 122 in Bangkok’s Wang Thong Lang neighborhood, as per The Thaiger.
Wang Thong Lang Police Station officers reported to the area where they found the 22-year-old American man, Rosenthal, dead.
Saul Rosenthal studied at Ramkhamhaeng University
American student Rosenthal reportedly died at the hands of his companion 'Set'. According to evidence provided to the police by acquaintances of both men, Rosenthal and Set were classmates at Ramkhamhaeng University.
The Thai student apparently found delight in the image and made improper remarks as he painted his own forehead with the German war insignia and a heated confrontation followed.
The tragic incident happened after the two were served alcohol at a restaurant, following which an argument between Rosenthal and Set grew heated.
Rosenthal was displeased by Set's behavior and confronted him about it in an alleyway.
Rosenthal attempted to explain to his friend that the swastika was an insulting symbol connected to terrible crimes against humanity, but the debate quickly turned into an altercation fueled by alcohol.
The American allegedly became enraged with Set and attempted to attack him; however, the young Thai man responded by stabbing Saul with a short knife.
Soon after, a bystander found Rosenthal's lifeless body and immediately contacted emergency personnel. The 22-year-old injured American guy was attempted to be revived by paramedics, but he died on the spot.
Thai attacker Set initially faces two charges
The Thai-Filipino man, Set who had attacked the victim, was eventually taken into custody. He admitted to attacking victim Rosenthal out of self-defense while intoxicated. The murder weapon, a five-inch blade, was also seized by cops.
Authorities described Set as being "severely intoxicated" when he was taken into custody.
The suspect was reportedly taken back to the police station because their rambling and disorganized speech made it difficult for the investigators to conduct a thorough interview, per the authorities.
Set is first accused of two crimes: deliberate homicide and unauthorized possession of a weapon in a public place per Hausa New. The charge carries a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison, a maximum sentence of life in prison, or the death penalty.
How did a Sanskrit symbol come to serve as the Nazi crest?
A significant emblem in both ancient and contemporary religions is the swastika, a cross with each leg bent at a 90-degree angle. It denotes a variety of things, including good fortune, the endlessness of creation, and the untamed, spinning sun.
As per the Holocaust Encyclopedia, racist organizations adopted the research of European linguists and other academics, appropriating the swastika and using it as a representation of "Aryan identity" and German nationalist pride.
The swastika was a formidable symbol used to terrorize Jews and other people considered enemies of Nazi Germany as well as to inspire pride in Aryans.
The hypothesis that the German people are descended from Aryans is perhaps one of the primary justifications for the Nazi Party's official adoption of the swastika or Hakenkreuz as its symbol in 1920.
The swastika was used by other political parties in Germany besides the Nazi Party. Following World War I, the swastika was embraced by a number of far-right nationalist organizations.
It was adopted as a symbol for the notion of a racially "pure" state. The meaning of the swastika had been permanently altered by the time the Nazis took over Germany.
The swastika, which Hitler used as a reference in Mein Kampf, as well as in election posters, armbands, medallions, and emblems for the military and other organizations, became the most identifiable representation of Nazi propaganda.