A Redditor claims to have spotted a topless American tourist flaunting his Nazi tattoo in Sentosa — something that would definitely not fly in Germany, where it would be considered a punishable crime of public incitement to hatred.
Reddit user LF1MSonja did not clarify how he/she knew that the man was American, nor was there any verification if the picture was taken recently at the resort island off the southern coast of Singapore. Nonetheless, such a blatant public display of hate symbols inked to his back and arms remain pretty appalling, no matter where he did it.
Tattooed on his lower back is a Nazi Eagle, a symbol developed by the Nazi Party in Germany in the 1920s. The symbol of an eagle clutching a swastika has been appropriated by neo-Nazis and other white supremacists worldwide.
On his left arm, a tattoo that appears to be of The Celtic Cross can be seen. The symbol is associated with Neo-Nazis — believed to have been adopted among European bigots as an alternative to the swastika, which has been prohibited in many countries. Through the circle/cross design has had non-Nazi usage before its appropriation, the symbol is based on the belief that Celts are the “true” Europeans of “pure breed”.
It’s unclear what his other tattoos stand for (or if they are even associated with hate messages) and the writing on his back can’t be discerned from the picture. As far as we know, Singapore hasn’t prosecuted anyone for having Neo-Nazi fealty or tattoos, but sedition laws state that anyone promoting “feelings of ill-will and hostility between different races or classes of the population of Singapore” can be punished.
