Racists have reappropriated the Detroit Red Wings logo, and the team is not happy
Many Detroit Red Wings fans were confused to see their favorite team’s logo waving among swastikas, confederate flags, and other symbols of hate at a massive white supremacist gathering in Virginia on Saturday.
One widely shared video shows a group of racists carrying homemade shields marked with the team’s insignia and chanting the Nazi slogan “blood and soil” as they poured into Charlottesville.
They’re chanting “Blood and Soil” as they approach Lee Park in #Charlottesville pic.twitter.com/2hPmJv9sq0
Christopher Mathias (@letsgomathias) August 12, 2017
Lest you think that the Detroit hockey team has become a hate group, its front office said in a statement on Saturday that it “vehemently disagrees” with the Nazis who’ve repurposed its trademarks. The team said it’s “exploring every possible legal action.”
Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) August 12, 2017
The NHL also said it was “outraged” too.
The NHL today released the following statement regarding use of the @DetroitRedWings logo. https://t.co/KDjiY5ZihP pic.twitter.com/2MmHUUsg3i
NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) August 12, 2017
The logo probably owes its appearance at the rally to a similarly named white nationalist group, called the Detroit Right Wings, though that hasn’t been confirmed. The so-called “identitarians” do have a defunct YouTube channel and a now-suspended Twitter account that use the logo, and the slogan “Rust Reforged.”
A state of emergency has been called in the city after the white supremacists violently clashed with counter-protesters, and at least one death has been confirmed.
Read more: http://mashable.com/2017/08/12/red-wings-denounce-racists/