A photo from a Wisconsin high school’s junior prom shows dozens of white male students flashing the Nazi salute, sparking outrage across Twitter.
The photo was originally shared by a Baraboo High School “parody account” called GoBaraboo, which openly bragged about how “we even got the black kid to throw it up.” Twitter user Carly Sidey and Vice’s Jules Suzdaltsev proceeded to condemn the photo on Sunday, openly criticizing the students’ behavior.
“I just want @barabooSD to be aware of the disturbing actions that are represented in this photograph,” Sidey tweeted. “This is BEYOND sickening.”
this post has since been deleted, but i just want @barabooSD to be aware of the disturbing actions that are represented in this photograph. this is BEYOND sickening. pic.twitter.com/Fer5heTted
— carly sidey (@CarlySidey) November 12, 2018
If anybody from Baraboo High School in Wisconsin can clue me in on why it appears the entire male class of 2018 is throwing up a Sig Heil during their prom photos – that would be great.
— Jules Suzdaltsev (@jules_su) November 12, 2018
h/t @CarlySidey pic.twitter.com/BL8lDVLMA4
After Suzdaltsev posted the photo, he says anonymous students reached out to him to share that the school struggles with racist bullying both online and in person, and that the administration refuses to protect students who report harassment. One anonymous student reportedly told Suzdaltsev that the n-word is “pretty common” among white students, “whether jokingly or not.”
Another student also reportedly shouted “white power!” after President Trump was elected, only for the school to say “that nothing could be done because it was his First Amendment right” and that the student should “look up videos of Black Lives Matter protesters being hostile towards police.”
“I’ve received messages from about 10 students/former students/locals, mostly female, talking about the toxic attitudes at the schools—specifically racism towards non-white students,” Suzdaltsev told the Daily Dot. “All who reached out where thankful it was being reported on, and sadly not shocked that it happened.”
This kid dead-center is literally doing the “white power okay sign”. pic.twitter.com/qyHnf1GzRt
— Jules Suzdaltsev (@jules_su) November 12, 2018
Someone who would like to remain anonymous just sent me this message and picture of herself that was posted by a classmate.
— Jules Suzdaltsev (@jules_su) November 12, 2018
Seriously, what is going on with this school? @BarabooSD pic.twitter.com/pHGbnelHct
I am being flooded with messages from students of this school about some of the guys in the group photo.
— Jules Suzdaltsev (@jules_su) November 12, 2018
It sounds like there is a lot of racist bullying and the school tends to do nothing about it. pic.twitter.com/yvPZWI196A
The DM that came with this was:
— Jules Suzdaltsev (@jules_su) November 12, 2018
“This was posted on someone’s Snapchat story. The video is pointing to two LATINO students.” pic.twitter.com/Ub666ofESf
Adding a few more messages from students who have reached out in the past few hours. pic.twitter.com/jERndlSgbh
— Jules Suzdaltsev (@jules_su) November 12, 2018
Sounds like racism is not uncommon at this school. pic.twitter.com/WJ9yuEVV8J
— Jules Suzdaltsev (@jules_su) November 12, 2018
The photographer has removed the photo from his website and updated with this… confusing message. pic.twitter.com/vx4r9Eo1zZ
— Jules Suzdaltsev (@jules_su) November 12, 2018
As the photo went viral Sunday night, Twitter users were sickened and appalled, and demanded a response from the Baraboo school district.
HOLY SHIT. https://t.co/YXY8EKqMnc
— Gail Simone 💙💛 (@GailSimone) November 12, 2018
https://twitter.com/AshaRangappa_/status/1061959085850005504
OUTRAGEOUS. The admin, the teachers, and the parents have an obligation to put a stop to this nonsense so that all students feel safe. I’m livid reading some of the messages in this thread. 😤😤😤 https://t.co/Kn9O9nGUvN
— ⚡️GIRLS BITE BACK⚡️ (@Songbird_7_) November 12, 2018
Incels in ill-fitting suits: the new Brownshirts https://t.co/QFGkaqOZ63
— Jennine (@jennineak) November 12, 2018
Why is this happening? Don’t they learn history in high school anymore? JHC pic.twitter.com/VfZphWaUIV
— Cinloou 🇨🇦 (@cinloou7) November 12, 2018
https://twitter.com/IamJeffsLiver/status/1061881036710260736
https://twitter.com/BelindaJoy79/status/1061946203837915136
Some point out that white people are continuing to express their real racist sentiments, which were hidden from the public eye until President Donald Trump’s election.
to repeat a point i have made many times before, there’s never been a serious consensus that racism is bad. rather, it’s been that “openly expressing racist views is impolite.” with national leadership celebrating that expression however, the norm is eroding. https://t.co/sW8MW3cIMk
— b-boy bouiebaisse (@jbouie) November 12, 2018
The parents aren’t going to be ashamed that their kids did this, they are going to be embarrassed their kids got caught. No one sticks up harder for racist White kids quite like their parents.
— PBF (@This_Here_Girl) November 12, 2018
Future @GOP voters and quite possibly elected leaders. Sad that their parents failed miserably at raising them.
— Rebecca Lynn (@Bex_Lyn) November 12, 2018
Others pointed out how horrendous it was that several people of color were forced to experience their white peers’ racist behavior. Suzdatlsev said one student reached out to him and explained that he was “uncomfortable with what was happening” and that he refused to salute as a result.
“The photographer took the photos telling us to make the sign, I knew what my morals were and it was not to salute something I firmly didn’t believe in,” the student told Suzdaltsev.
I spoke with the only student who is visibly not comfortable with the “salute”, he provided this statement. pic.twitter.com/HbNBc8xLOK
— Jules Suzdaltsev (@jules_su) November 12, 2018
The kid at top-right deserves some kind of medal for being the only one who’s neither saluting nor laughing, at least as far as I can tell.
— Erik Larson (@eelarson) November 12, 2018
https://twitter.com/J_sandy1009/status/1061972731909062657
Nor the Asian kid up front
— Call your reps 🇺🇸🇬🇷🇨🇴🇨🇾🇮🇳🏳️🌈 (@KalouKali) November 12, 2018
Far right second from the bottom is who I think they’re talking about, but he doesn’t have the salute so idk
— Tranny DeVito (@TheCatMom) November 12, 2018
Meanwhile, the Auschwitz Memorial tweeted, “It is so hard to find words” over the photo. The memorial stressed that “we need to explain what is the danger of hateful ideology rising,” and that the Baraboo school district should “know more about what can be the extreme result of normalization of hatred.”
It is so hard to find words…
— Auschwitz Memorial (@AuschwitzMuseum) November 12, 2018
This is why every single day we work hard to educate. We need to explain what is the danger of hateful ideology rising. Auschwitz with its gas chambers was at the very end of the long process of normalizing and accommodating hatred. https://t.co/13AzZaMGJR
If @barabooSD wishes to know more about what can be the extreme result of normalization of hatred – and hatred is enrolled in this symbol – please see some online lessons dedicated to the history of Auschwitz: https://t.co/M1VC8b8Jlj
— Auschwitz Memorial (@AuschwitzMuseum) November 12, 2018
On Monday morning, Baraboo school district administrator Dr. Lori M. Mueller responded on Twitter, saying the photo is “not reflective of the educational values and beliefs” of the school district.
“The District will pursue any and all available and appropriate actions, including legal, to address,” she tweeted.
When reached for comment, Dr. Mueller told the Daily Dot that the school district is “launching an investigation” and is “unable to provide additional details at this time.” She also provided an official statement sent to parents this morning regarding the photo, which states the district “will pursue any and all available and appropriate actions, including legal” if “the gesture is what it appears to be.”
“With that, we want to be very clear: The Baraboo School District is a hate-free environment where all people, regardless of race, color, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin or ancestry, are respected and celebrated,” Dr. Mueller wrote in the official statement.
https://twitter.com/LoriMMueller/status/1061964791433048064
https://twitter.com/JulieAnnSilver/status/1061970441537937408
https://twitter.com/pete_forester/status/1061969092029173761
This is absolutely disgusting. As a teacher, I know you were aware of the racism and bigotry in your school. Unless everyone working there is also racist, this attitude and associated behaviors were reported. You did nothing to curb it. This is an embarrassment to all educators.
— EKMaestro (@EkMaestro) November 12, 2018
https://twitter.com/DadofGabriel/status/1061968591233409024
https://twitter.com/bethanyaball/status/1061972238021337088
READ MORE
- What is social justice? The rise of the social justice warrior
- Cultural appropriation vs. appreciation: Understanding the difference
- What does Latinx mean? What you should know about Latinx identity and history
As for the viral response, Suzdaltsev says he’s “not altogether surprised, [because the photo] completely shocked me.”
“I could never imagine my high school class doing something like that,” he told the Daily Dot. “I figured I wasn’t alone in being shocked by such a photo.”
Clearly, he was not.
