Alleged use of Neo-Nazi hand sign at US Army-Navy game probed

The hand sign, akin to an "OK" gesture, has been commonly used by Neo-Nazis and other extremists in recent years, in relation to its ambiguous nature.

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Army-Navy Football Game (photo credit: Wikimedia Commons)
Army-Navy Football Game
(photo credit: Wikimedia Commons)
School officials for the US Army and Navy academies are in the process of probing the alleged use of a Neo-Nazi hand sign during football game on Saturday, December 14, between the two institutions, according to a report released by the Associated Press.
The hand sign, akin to an "OK" gesture, has been commonly used by Neo-Nazis and other extremists in recent years, due to its ambiguous nature.
The Army and Navy academies are probing whether signs used by students at the game were in any way associated with Neo-Nazism, and if it was intentional, after it was captured on television during the game.
“We’re looking into it,” said Lt. Col. Chris Ophardt, a spokesperson from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in New York.
Orphardt added that he "[doesn't] know what their intention is.”
A spokesperson from the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, also responded to the incident, saying that “We are aware and will be looking into it.”
When asked for a comment on the matter, the Pentagon did not respond.
The Anti-Defamation League has documented the use of the hand signal, saying that it has been used as a means to convey Neo-Nazi signals without overtly appearing to make a racist sign, unlike the Nazi salute.
Earlier this year, another branch of the United States Armed forces, the Coast Guard, reprimanded an office for using a similar symbol during a television broadcast.


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