Photo of Teacher Making Students Nazi Salute in Class Sparks Outrage

A school in Alabama has become embroiled in controversy after a photo emerged that appears to show one of its history teachers instructing students to perform Nazi salutes as they stand facing the American flag.

Stop Antisemitism.org, a New York non-profit that monitors and calls out anti-Jewish racism, tweeted late Monday night about the teaching at Mountain Brook High School in Mountain Brook, Alabama.

"More antisemitic controversy at @mtnbrookhs as an 11th grade history teacher instructs students to perform Nazi salutes as they stand facing the American flag. A few of the students refused to participate; the school's Principal and Vice Principal are aware. SICKENING," the tweet read.

During the Second World War, the Nazis were responsible for the state-sponsored genocide of six million Jews.

The non-profit organisation also referred to another of its tweets from May 2020 where it called out the same school for antisemitism.

Tweeting a video of students drawing the Nazi symbol on their backs, the NGO said: "Hey @mtnbrookhs do your students make it a habit of drawing swastikas on themselves when school is not in session?"

The footage—which shows several students at a party, including one shirtless one with two swastikas and the word "heil" on his back—was originally posted on the What's Happening in Mountain Brook Facebook page.

Jewish groups, including the Birmingham Jewish Foundation (BJF), condemned the video.

"While I am saddened about the incident, I am gratified that it has brought the Jewish community and the broader community together to address hate in a meaningful way through advanced education," BJF CEO Danny Cohn said in a statement at the time.

The Anti-Defamation League also condemned the video, calling it "disturbing."

In response to the footage, Mountain Brook School Superintendent Dr. Richard Barlow formed an education committee "that will begin meeting immediately to assess what is currently being done in Mountain Brook schools, as well as what additional education and resources will need to be made available for students K-12", WBRC reported.

Newsweek has contacted Mountain Brook High School for comment.

Antisemitism is a huge problem in the U.S. and globally. A report by the American Jewish Committee released in October found that one in four American Jews said they had experienced antisemitism in the last year.

Seventeen percent of respondents said that they had been subject to an antisemitic remark in person, while 12 percent said they were victim of antisemitic abuse online.

Three percent said they were the target of a physical antisemitic attack.