A Wisconsin school district on Monday launched an investigation into a photo making social media rounds that shows dozens of male high school students raising their right arms in an apparent Nazi salute.
The district in the midwestern US state condemned the photo, which was taken last spring before the annual prom dance and reportedly includes all the male students in Baraboo High School's class of 2019.
"Early this morning, a photo that was taken last spring of some Baraboo School District students who appear to be making extremely inappropriate gestures began circulating on social media," said a statement from Baraboo superintendent Lori Mueller.
"If the gesture is what it appears to be, the district will pursue any and all available and appropriate actions, including legal, to address the issue," Mueller said, adding that the photo was not taken on school property or at a school-sponsored event.
One student in the photo also appeared to be making the "OK" hand gesture that has come to symbolize white power.
The Baraboo Police Department said it was assisting with the investigation.
One of the students in the photo did not make a sign, and said in a statement circulated widely on social media that he was "uncomfortable" with the photo, saying that at the time "I knew what my morals were and it was not to salute something I firmly didn't believe in."
"It needs to stop," said the boy, identifying himself as Jordan Blue. "Bullying. Immaturity. and just taking things as a 'joke'..."
Mr Blue spoke to CNN following the uproar and said the gesture made him feel "scared".
"The photographer said to raise your hand, but he didn't say a specific way, and my peers should not have raised it in the specific way that was the offensive way and hurtful way," he told CNN.
"It was a scary moment, and it was very shocking and upsetting, and it was a huge misrepresentation of the school district and the community of Baraboo," he added.
Baraboo, a town of about 12,000 people, is located 68 kilometres northwest of Wisconsin's capital city Madison.
The photographer that took the photo told CNN that he had asked the students to wave goodbye to their parents.
Groups criticise photo
The American Civil Liberties Union of Wisconsin labelled the photo as "appalling".
"Students have First Amendment rights, but it is appalling that these students appear to have used theirs in a way that is completely shocking and reprehensible," the statement read.
"We hope these students understand what a mistake this was, and we hope that they will join work against the hateful ideology that they appeared to treat so casually in the photo."
The Auschwitz Memorial also responded to the photo offering lessons on the history of Auschwitz.
"This is why every single day we work hard to educate," tweeted the Auschwitz Memorial of the photo. "We need to explain what is the danger of hateful ideology rising."
- With AFP
