Store chain halts sale of 'swastika' Christmas trinket
DPA/The Local - [email protected]
Published: 3 Nov, 2016 CET.
Updated: Thu 3 Nov 2016 11:02 CET
German home accessory store Butlers has had to stop selling a Christmas tree ornament after complaints that it appeared to depict a swastika.
The ornament in the shape of a colourful gingerbread house became controversial after customers pointed out that a design painted above the door looked like a swastika.
Missglückte Deko: Wie kommt Hakenkreuz auf rosa Glitzerhaus bei #Butlers? Die ganze Geschichte: #aktuellestunde um 18:45 Uhr. pic.twitter.com/b8HidvmS6v
— WDR Aktuelle Stunde (@aktuelle_stunde) November 2, 2016
“Of course we don’t want to offer any items that could be associated with a swastika,” Butlers spokeswoman Catherine Kunze said.
Kunze explained that their decorations are hand-painted in other countries and the results can vary. But the store will now immediately remove “all ambiguous pieces” from their shelves. They have already discontinued the online sales.
Earlier this year, Dutch Queen Máxima raised eyebrows across Germany when she wore a coat bedecked with a pattern that looked like a swastika.
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The ornament in the shape of a colourful gingerbread house became controversial after customers pointed out that a design painted above the door looked like a swastika.
Missglückte Deko: Wie kommt Hakenkreuz auf rosa Glitzerhaus bei #Butlers? Die ganze Geschichte: #aktuellestunde um 18:45 Uhr. pic.twitter.com/b8HidvmS6v
— WDR Aktuelle Stunde (@aktuelle_stunde) November 2, 2016
“Of course we don’t want to offer any items that could be associated with a swastika,” Butlers spokeswoman Catherine Kunze said.
Kunze explained that their decorations are hand-painted in other countries and the results can vary. But the store will now immediately remove “all ambiguous pieces” from their shelves. They have already discontinued the online sales.
Earlier this year, Dutch Queen Máxima raised eyebrows across Germany when she wore a coat bedecked with a pattern that looked like a swastika.
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