Colombia: controversy over Nazi-themed activity at police school

Credit: National Police of Colombia

(CNN Spanish) -

The director of a Colombian police school was fired after the students "recreated scenes alluding to the period of Nazi Germany" during an academic activity, the Colombian National Police reported in a statement on Thursday.

According to the authorities, the incident took place at the "Simón Bolívar" Police School, located in the municipality of Tuluá, Valle del Cauca department, when the students were carrying out a "pedagogical activity on universal history."

"The use of Nazi emblems and the caricature of the police uniform are unacceptable," the institution said in its statement, although it did not give further details of the incident nor did it identify the dismissed official.

The Colombian Police added in their Twitter account that the national director of Police Schools, Yackeline Navarro Ordóñez, will travel to the municipality of Tuluá this Friday to "take additional measures in the face of these outrageous and offensive events."

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In the statement published by the institution, it was said that the supervision of academic activities will be strengthened so that "these types of mistakes are not repeated" and it was added that the entity "offers public excuses to the Jewish community and to all those offended by the unfortunate events that occurred in Tuluá ".

The National Police forcefully rejects any act of apology to Nazism and has made the first drastic decisions due to unacceptable events at the 'Simón Bolívar' School in Tuluá.

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Brigadier General Yackeline Navarro Ordóñez, National Director of Schools.

pic.twitter.com/OE957E8U2B

- Colombian Police (@PoliciaColombia) November 19, 2021

For their part, the Israeli and German embassies in Bogotá said in a joint statement that they rejected any display of "apology for Nazism."

And they called on the Government of Colombia and the local authorities to "carry out the pertinent investigations and punish those responsible for said activity."

They added that events like this "are outrageous and directly offend not only Jews, but also all victims of the Nazi regime and its criminals."

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