In East London, England, a shopper looking to get something to drink and saw what appeared, at first glance, to be a Nazi swastika on a smoothie. As the unidentified customer explained, he went into a shop in Old Street. In the refrigerator were various smoothies, each with a large number on the label to distinguish the flavors. One didn’t have a number but a big swastika. The label identified it as a ‘Nutzy’ smoothie.
The manager explained that in Hindu culture the swastika is a symbol of prosperity and health. It is an ancient and sacred symbol which was appropriated by the Hitler’s Nazi Party. The Hindu sign included dots within the emblem, and the symbol itself was popular in many cultures for thousands of years before the Second World War.
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When the customer inquired about the drink’s name,’Nutzy’ the manager said it was a play on words signifying ‘having nuts,’ which meant ‘having courage.’
When told some people would find it offensive, he replied why? The customer explained his family was killed by the Nazi regime and that despite the ancient history of the symbol, coupled with the name, the label was offensive.
The customer said that using the swastika and the drink’s name was anti-Semitic and not coincidental.
A complaint by the Campaign Against Antisemitism to the manager and Transport for London resulted in the drink being withdrawn from shelves, The Telegraph reported.
The company which runs the shop apologized unreservedly on its website, saying that an irresponsible employee who is no longer with the company had been to blame.