Image by Youtube

By Anne Cohen June 16, 2015

No, it’s not a Hitler Youth parade — it’s a cheerleading competition.

One of the teams competing in a cheerleading smackdown in the Mexican city of Guadalajara (in May) got slammed on social media last week when a video surfaced showing their highly offensive routine featuring swastikas, goose-stepping and “Sieg Heils” galore.

The cheery bunch included two dozen girls aged 10 to 16 and one boy, . All were dressed in camouflage and red armbands. In the ultimate act of subtlety, they also used a huge swastika banner as a prop and saluted, Nazi-style.

As Haaretz points out, criticism of the dance routine has mostly been leveled at those in charge of the competition, as some people point out that the munchkins probably didn’t realize that they were emulating a genocidal Fascist dictatorship.

But just to be safe, event organizer Enrique Casas has decided to keep the team’s identity secret because the commments “have been a little aggressive.”

“The comments have gone beyond freedom of expression … and have included direct insults against the girls.”

Right. I can’t imagine why.

Next time (because apparently, there will be one), Casas assures he will put safeguards in place “to avoid hurting people’s feelings.”

[h/t Heeb]

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