A group of students, teachers and administrators from an international academy in İstanbul paid a visit to a Jewish high school and apologized for a Nazi salute given during a football match between the schools earlier this month, the Gazete Duvar news website reported.
The football team of the Üsküdar American Academy, an international coeducational high school, collectively gave a Nazi salute to the players of the Ulus Private Jewish High School after scoring a goal during a match on March 14. The incident has led to an outcry among Jewish circles and rights activists.
The Üsküdar American Academy released a statement on Wednesday saying that they paid a visit to the Ulus Private Jewish High School on Tuesday to offer their deepest regrets and apologize to the Jewish school and the Jewish community for the incident and to make it clear that their school is against all kinds of discrimination and follows a zero-tolerance policy against antisemitism.
The Üsküdar American Academy also said in their statement that they support an investigation launched into their school by the İstanbul Education Directorate for the Nazi salute and that the school has withdrawn from the football tournament.
Turkey’s Jewish community offered its thanks to the academy for its apology and visit to the high school, describing their move as a “positive step” and an “act of responsibility.”
Umudumuz ve dileğimiz bu kabul edilemez olayın, sadece ÜAL öğrencilerinin değil, tüm gençlerimizin, velilerimizin ve eğitim camiamızın tarihi gerçekler konusunda bilinçlenmelerinin ne kadar önemli olduğunun bir kez daha ortaya konulmasına vesile olmasıdır.@UAAOFFICIAL
— Türk Yahudi Toplumu (@tyahuditoplumu) March 21, 2023