German embassy condemns graduate’s Nazi salute

(FMT) – The German embassy in Kuala Lumpur today slammed a graduate from Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) who gave a Nazi-style salute during his convocation, urging Putrajaya to do the same.

In a Facebook post, the embassy said it was shocked that the student had given the offensive salute considering the “terrible suffering that was brought upon the world during World War II by the Nazi regime”.

“The German embassy unequivocally condemns any show of support for a regime responsible for genocide and would expect the Malaysian government and university authorities to do the same,” it said, tagging Wisma Putra in the post.

The swastika and other Nazi symbols are banned in Germany, while the law stipulates a fine or jail term for giving the Nazi salute.

It is understood that the graduate made the gesture in protest of what he believed to be the Jewish dominance of the world and as a sign of support for the Palestinians in Gaza.

A picture of his offensive gesture on-stage quickly went viral.

UMS has since expressed disappointment and said action will be taken to ensure there is no repeat of such an incident. It is also probing the incident.