The "Nazi salute" protected by the first amendment: Baraboo officials say

BARABOO, WI – Citing the rights of the First Amendment, officials from the Baraboo School District said they were unable to punish a group of photographed students during their appearance before Nazi Salvation last spring at the courthouse. Sauk County.

After a 10-day investigation, school officials said they would not punish students in the photo.

"As stated before, we can not know the intentions of the hearts of those involved," Mueller wrote in his letter. "In addition, because of First Amendment student rights, the district is not able to punish students for their actions."

The problem was a photo taken by photographer Peter Gust during the school 's end – of – school ball. A group of students dressed in formal wear was standing on the steps of the Sauk County courthouse, many of them holding their right arms stretched out in what appeared to be a Nazi salute. According to Madison.com, the photo was taken in May 2018 before the prom and included a mix of past and current students from Baraboo High School. In his comments to the media, Gust stated that he had told students to "say goodbye to their parents".

In a statement to Jules Suzdaltsev, a student who refused to salvage said that he had in fact been asked the students to do it. Jordan Blue, who appears in the upper right-hand corner of the photo, said the photographer, who was neither sanctioned nor paid by the district, told the students "to make the sign" and that Blue was not the only one to do so. had not had time to leave because the picture "was taken within five seconds."

The indignation over the photo, which made its way into social media in November, was wide and pronounced, with local and national reactions condemning the action.

A coalition led by the Jewish Federation of Milwaukee plans to collaborate with the Baraboo School District to prevent future incidents such as that recorded by a graduating ball photographer earlier this year:

"We are alarmed by the disturbing manifestations of antisemitism by a group of students from Baraboo High School, and although this incident seems to have occurred last May, it reflects a surge in Anti-Semitism and other forms of sectarianism: We are particularly concerned about bigotry in schools: more than 25% of all antisemitic incidents recorded in Wisconsin last year occurred among students or on campus … As we know, acts of hate start with hateful expressions, call for action so that schools and families educate young people to respect diversity and difference. values ​​that will unite us must be taught and reinforced in order to avoid the continued rise of hatred and its consequences. "

It's so hard to find words … that's why every day we work hard to educate. We must explain what is the danger of a hateful ideology. Auschwitz and its gas chambers were at the end of the long process of normalization and accommodation of hatred. https://t.co/13AzZaMGJR – Auschwitz Memorial (@AuschwitzMuseum) November 12, 2018

Local groups sought to bring new energy to their community soon after the photo was published. By singing "love, not hate," community members gathered in front of the Sauk County Courthouse the following day to show their solidarity.

Nearly 100 people chanted slogans against hatred and brandished signs preaching love and peace. Local photographer Stephanie Shanks said she was interested in organizing a new group photo.

Love on hate. Baraboo community members take photos with love symbols in the same place where a photo of some Baraboo high school students pretending to make Nazi greetings was taken. More details https://t.co/ar9l7WqJnh pic.twitter.com/CMF5NAAEaW
– Keely Arthur (@ news3keely) November 12, 2018

District overthrows Nazi salute course Photo

The Baraboo School District first announced that it was considering taking all measures, including legal, to punish the students on the photo.

In a letter sent to families the day after the publication of the photo, Superintendent Lori Mueller said the photo was taken last spring by a group of Baraboo students. The letter read in part:

Early this morning, a photo taken last spring of students from the Baraboo School District who appeared to be making extremely inappropriate gestures began to circulate on social media, and the district confirmed at that time that the photo was not available. Had not been taken on the school grounds a school-sponsored event.

The Baraboo Police Department said it was also conducting a photo survey at the request of the school district.

A student refuses to salve

Jordan Blue, the only student on the photo who did not participate in the gesture, reacted publicly to the photo on Twitter.

"My name is Jordan Blue, I am the boy captured on the photo on the far right The photo was taken during the photos of our prom .. I am clearly uncomfortable with this I was not allowed to leave the photo as it was taken within 5 seconds, "he said on Twitter. "The photographer took the pictures telling us to make the sign, I knew what my morals were and it was not to greet something I did not believe firmly in. I'm attending BHS and these Classmates have been harassing me since entering college, I've struggled with it all my life and nothing has changed. "

I spoke with the only student who is visibly uncomfortable with the "hi", he provided this statement. pic.twitter.com/HbNBc8xLOK
– Jules Suzdaltsev (@jules_su) November 12, 2018

Photo Credit (Peter Gust via AP) In May 2018, this photo provided by Peter Gust, a group of Wisconsin high school students standing on the steps outside the Sauk County Courthouse in Baraboo, Wisconsin. some students make a Nazi salute. Gust, who has a son in the photo, denies that there was any intention to offend anyone and said that they greet their parents before going to the prom.