



A California shoe company is recalling a series of work boots that leave swastika imprints on the ground after a customer complained.

Conal International Trading, the Los Angeles-area footwear company, apologized for the troubling image left by the tread of its Polar Fox boots. The company assured the public that the symbol was not intentionally incorporated into its design and blamed the misstep on its manufacturers overseas.

“We were informed recently the company imported boots that has an offensive symbol designed on them. We are extremely sorry for the frustration this has caused our customers and the public. The boots have been recalled, and we have stopped selling the item,” the company said in a statement. “We would like to issue our sincerest apologies to our customers and to anyone who was offended by the Swastika imprint that the boots left behind.”

Conal International Trading said in its statement that it does not promote hate or discrimination of any sort and its employees deeply regret the mistake. The company is investigating the issue.

“The design was not intentional and was a mistake made by our manufacturers in China. There was never any intention to include any offensive designs on the products we import,” the statement read.

The commotion started on Tuesday when a startled customer posted to Reddit pictures of his new boots’ soles and the mark they leave on the ground.

“There was an angle I didn’t get to see when ordering my new work boots,” he wrote.

His images swiftly went viral, and Reddit users flooded the post with Nazi-themed one-liners. In a parody of rapper Flo Rida’s hit song “Low,” one person wrote, “Apple bottom jeans and the boots with the fuhrers.” Others wrote mock reviews: “Very comfortable. Nein out of ten.” “I love them too, they really put me in mein kampfort zone.” “Heily recommended.”

The boots have been removed from Amazon.