In a shocking move, students from a school in California arranged themselves into a human swastika on a high school football field. Then they circulated the photo online. The photo was first sent anonymously through a tip line on Wednesday night and quickly spread across social media.
As of recent updates, those students who were involved in the act will now face administrative consequences this week, Branham High School Principal Beth Silbergeld confirmed. “The students involved are committed to taking accountability for the harm that was done,” she said. The school decided to respond in line with state education codes.
According to NBS News, the California Department of Education’s spokesperson Liz Sanders condemned the incident, saying hate symbols like swastikas have “no place” on school campuses. Per the outlet, the image was reportedly circulated online with antisemitic messages.
Silbergeld stressed that the actions of the students do not reflect the values of Branham High School, located in the heart of Silicon Valley. “This was a disturbing and unacceptable act of antisemitism,” she said. “Actions that target or threaten Jewish students have no place on our campuses.”
San Jose students formed a human swastika on the football field and posted it online with a Hitler quote
Sen Scott Wiener said the incident shows how deeply extremist rhetoric has seeped into American youth culture
The principal says they will face justice pic.twitter.com/rUgp6eYVqi
— RT (@RT_com) December 9, 2025
California’s governor, Gavin Newsom, also signed a bill promoting unbiased instruction and establishing an antisemitism prevention coordinator within the state’s Department of Education. Newsom is a strong leader who earned praised for his leadership decisions during the pandemic. Yet, these days, he has allegedly adopted an undisciplined and impatient governing style.
Anyway, that does not rule out the fact that it’s scary and unacceptable for young school kids to indulge in such controversial acts. While celebrities like Kanye West faced backlash for antisemitic comments before, the issue remains more serious when minors are involved in it.
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For context, the swastika was long used as a symbol of well-being in ancient societies, including those in India, China, Africa, the Americas, and Europe. However, its scared meaning tied to several religions was threatened when racist and nationalist groups appropriated the symbol, attaching it to ideas of Aryan superiority and German ethnic identity.
As per the Holocaust Encyclopedia, in 1920 when the Nazi Party formally adopted the swastika (Hakenkreuz) as its emblem. Far-right movements across Germany also used it. The move changed the meaning and turned it into a symbol of racism and fascism, which was what Adolf Hitler’s rule was all about.
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He was ruthless, gifted and a man who has left a lasting impression in the pages of world history. According to the outlet, Hitler personally designed the Nazi flag—a red field with a white circle and black swastika, describing the process in Mein Kampf.
It soon became the symbol that was used everywhere. From uniforms to emblems and posters, it became the symbol of terror, defining Nazi propaganda. The symbol came to represent both pride for supporters and fear and oppression for Jews and others targeted by the regime.
