California High School Investigates After Students Form Human Swastika and Hitler Quote on Instagram

A San Jose high school has launched an investigation after eight students arranged themselves into a human swastika on the Branham High School football field and posted the image on Instagram alongside an antisemitic quote attributed to Adolf Hitler, as reported by The New York Post.

The incident, which occurred on Wednesday, has drawn widespread condemnation and prompted involvement from local and statewide organizations.

The post, removed shortly after it was uploaded, displayed the students forming the swastika along with an excerpt from a 1939 Hitler speech.

The caption read: “If the international Jewish financiers in and outside Europe should succeed in plunging the nations once more into a world war, then the result will not be the Bolshevization of the earth, and thus the victory of Jewry, but the annihilation of the Jewish race in Europe.”

At Branham High School in San Jose , eight students lay on a football field to form a “human swastika” and posted it on Instagram with a quote from a 1939 Hitler speech blaming Jews for “plunging nations into war” and calling for “the annihilation of the Jewish race.”

The… pic.twitter.com/dUcYpnD8EJ

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School officials said Friday that the eight students involved have been identified, though their names will not be released due to federal privacy laws. Branham High School Principal Beth Silbergeld issued a statement condemning the incident.

“Our message to the community is clear: This was a disturbing and unacceptable act of antisemitism. Actions that target, demean, or threaten Jewish students have no place on our campuses,” she said in a statement to the Los Angeles Times.

The image came to light after another student at the school discovered the post and notified his family, according to Maya Bronicki of the Bay Area Jewish Coalition. The incident was later reported to the San Jose Police Department.

State Sen. Scott Wiener shared the image publicly on Facebook and called attention to the broader implications.

“We need to ask ourselves why these students believed it was ok to do this — not just the swastika but linking it to extermination of Jews due to ‘international financial Jews,’” Wiener wrote.

He added, “Antisemitism is pervasive & growing. It’s leading to harassment & violence against Jews. Yet, there’s an orchestrated campaign to deny its existence.”

Wiener noted that some responses to his post expressed support for the students’ actions, including one comment that stated, “This gives me faith in the next generation.”

The school district said it will coordinate with several organizations as it moves forward with its response, including the Anti-Defamation League, the Bay Area Jewish Coalition, and the Jewish Community Relations Council of the Bay Area. Officials emphasized that disciplinary actions will follow district guidelines and state regulations.

Branham High School continues to review the circumstances surrounding the incident as community leaders and advocacy groups call for accountability and educational intervention.

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