UK Edition
US shoe company recalls boot over swastika prints and apologises for 'obvious mistake'
A shoe company in the US has apologised and recalled a boot after a viral photo showed it left behind tiny swastika prints.
Conal International Trading Co, which manufactures the Polar Fox boot, said it was "no way intentional" and an "obvious mistake" made by manufacturers in China.
"We will not be selling any of our boots with the misprint to anyone," the company said in an open letter.
"We would never create a design to promote hate. We don't promote hate at our company."
The City of Industry company took action after a user on the social media site Reddit posted a picture of the boot's sole and the prints it made on the ground.
"There was an angle I didn't get to see when ordering my new work boots," the user wrote in the post, which has been viewed more than two million times.
"The soles don't look that much like swastikas, but the prints are unmistakable. And whoever made the soles would have understood that."
The military combat boots were bring sold on Amazon before the company pulled the listing on Thursday.
Reviews on the site made light of the error, calling the boot "heily recommended" and rating the pair a "nein out of 10".
One Amazon user joked: "Good for marching into Poland, but not so good for much else", the BBC reported.
Esquire Magazine criticised the "pretty ugly" boots because of "numerous white supremacist symbols".
"There's too much going on here: a zipper, a buckle, a cloth panel, and swastikas. Come on, Polar Fox boots," it said.
The company, founded in 2002, distributes shoes throughout the US at “affordable” and “competitive prices,” according to its website.
“We insist to use good materials and keep eyes on inspection process to our production lines in manufacturing,” the company’s website said.