Universal Orlando has removed a photo from their Annual Passholder Facebook group showing guests doing a Nazi salute and the “white power” hand gesture.
The photo, which was reportedly taken during Universal's Passholder Appreciation Night on Sunday, Aug. 18, shows four guests on the Revenge of the Mummy attraction making the racist hand gestures.
Despite being removed, the photo has since been shared across various social media channels.
"Hate has no place here—and we have no tolerance for any display of hatred within our destination,” said Universal in a statement. “We stand for diversity, inclusion and respect. Any guest using hate speech or displaying hate symbols will be immediately removed from our destination and not allowed to return."
At this point, it’s unclear exactly who posted the photo to the theme park’s Facebook page, or if Universal plans on banning the riders.
Of course the "OK" hand gesture isn't always a symbol for white power, but according to the Southern Poverty Law Center, it's all about context. "The problem, of course, is that there are white nationalists, neo-Nazis and Klansmen who have increasingly begun using the use of the symbol both to signal their presence to the like-minded, as well as to identify potentially sympathetic recruits among young trolling artists flashing it. To them, the configuration means WP, for “white power,” says the SLPC.
Considering this photo also contains four pretty cut and dry Nazi salutes, the hand gestures probably don't mean "all is well."
Either way, Universal Orlando decided the photo was offensive enough to remove.
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