'Swastika' ride closed by German theme park
Attraction's operators say they did not notice resemblance to Nazi emblem until videos were posted on social media
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A theme park ride in Germany has been shut down after complaints that it looked like a pair of spinning swastikas.
The operators of the "Eagle Fly" apologised and said they had not noticed the attraction’s resemblance to the Nazi emblem until seeing footage on social media.
A spokeswoman for Tatzmania theme park near the town of Loffingen in Germany's south western Baden-Wurttemberg state confirmed to The Independent the ride was no longer operating.
The attraction, which consists of two sets of spinning carriages separated by a metal arm, had only opened at the end of July.
Director Rudiger Braun said no visitors had complained but he took the decision to close the ride after online posts in early August drew attention to the unfortunate likeness.
He told regional broadcaster SWR he wanted to “apologise to anyone who feels disturbed or offended by our design”.
The attraction is to be redesigned before it reopens to the public.
Displaying the swastika is illegal in Germany.
Exhibiting Nazi emblems can be punished with prison terms of up to three years under laws which prohibit the “use of symbols of unconstitutional organisations” for reasons other than art, science, research or teaching.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments