Skip To Content
JEWISH. INDEPENDENT. NONPROFIT.
Join thousands of readers who support our workDONATE NOW
Fast Forward

‘Swastika’ Boot Manufacturer Blames Chinese Factory for Nazi Footprint

Conal International Trading is passing the buck after feeling the heat for work boots that leave an imprint that closely resembles a swastika.

The firm blamed a Chinese subcontractor for what it called a production error.

“We are extremely sorry for the frustration this has caused our customers and the public,” it said in a statement.

The boots went viral after a Reddit user posted a photo of the item. The man had purchased the shoes on Amazon and expressed concern about their imprint. Conal announced that it would recall the product. It was unclear whether the boots would also be removed from Amazon’s online store.

Redditers mocked the shoes with puns. “Very comfortable. Nein out of ten,” one user wrote. “Good for marching into Poland,” another mused.

Contact Daniel J. Solomon at [email protected] or on Twitter @DanielJSolomon

Why I became the Forward’s Editor-in-Chief

You are surely a friend of the Forward if you’re reading this. And so it’s with excitement and awe — of all that the Forward is, was, and will be — that I introduce myself to you as the Forward’s newest editor-in-chief.

And what a time to step into the leadership of this storied Jewish institution! For 129 years, the Forward has shaped and told the American Jewish story. I’m stepping in at an intense time for Jews the world over. We urgently need the Forward’s courageous, unflinching journalism — not only as a source of reliable information, but to provide inspiration, healing and hope.

Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

Republish This Story

Please read before republishing

We’re happy to make this story available to republish for free, unless it originated with JTA, Haaretz or another publication (as indicated on the article) and as long as you follow our guidelines.
You must comply with the following:

  • Credit the Forward
  • Retain our pixel
  • Preserve our canonical link in Google search
  • Add a noindex tag in Google search

See our full guidelines for more information, and this guide for detail about canonical URLs.

To republish, copy the HTML by clicking on the yellow button to the right; it includes our tracking pixel, all paragraph styles and hyperlinks, the author byline and credit to the Forward. It does not include images; to avoid copyright violations, you must add them manually, following our guidelines. Please email us at [email protected], subject line “republish,” with any questions or to let us know what stories you’re picking up.

We don't support Internet Explorer

Please use Chrome, Safari, Firefox, or Edge to view this site.