MADRID, Spain (WJC)–The Spanish clothing retailer Zara has stopped the sale of its ‘sheriff’ children’s T-shirt which bore resemblance to the clothes Jewish concentration camp inmates were forced to wear in Nazi concentration camps during World War II.
The Zara version sported horizontal rather than vertical stripes. However, the shirt bore a large six-pointed yellow star on the upper-left section, in the exact place where Nazis forced Jews to wear the Star of David. The word “sheriff” was written very faintly across the oversized star.
The item caused outrage in a number of countries and on social media websites. It was also on sale on Zara’s Israeli website.
On Wednesday, August 27, Zara announced that the shirt would be pulled from its online stores.
In September 2007, the fashion chain was forced to withdraw a line of handbags from its stores in Britain after it was pointed out the design featured Nazi swastikas. The bag had been produced in Asia, however, where the symbol also carries ancient cultural significance.
Zara is owned by the Spanish company Inditex, a fashion group with more than 5,500 stores in 86 countries in Europe, North America, Asia and Africa. Inditex also owns Pull & Bear, Bershka, Stradivarius and several other outlets.
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Preceding provided by World Jewish Congress