Posted on 07/30/21
| News Source: Arutz-7
A Shell gas station in Fort Lauderdale, Florida was selling five dollars face masks featuring swastikas and the Nazi eagle insignia on Thursday, reported WPLG Local 10 News.
The masks were discovered by a customer named Kelly Wagner who told the news station that she had noticed them while inside the gas station’s store.
Wagner said in an interview: “After the initial shock I asked the woman behind the counter, ‘Is Shell actually selling swastika face masks?’”
She said that the clerk’s response was, “We sell what it is that they give us to sell.”
According to the report, it is not clear how many of the swastika masks were sold at the Shell on the corner of Powerline and Cypress Creek Road.
A WPLG reporter went to the gas stations and purchased one of the masks, noting it was the last one on the self.
After purchasing the swastika mask, the reporter asked the gas station manager, who identified himself as Mohammad Hossin, about the Nazi symbols on the coverings.
“I have no idea,” he said.
“You don’t know what a swastika is?” the reporter asked.
“Trust me, I have no idea,” Hossin replied.
The manager said the masks were purchased from a vendor who brought them to the gas station to sell along with a variety of other masks.
Shell Oil Company released a statement to the news outlet: “Shell Oil Products US does not condone hate symbols and is in contact with the licensee of this site to have this item removed."
“We support inclusivity of all patrons who choose Shell and take allegations of discrimination seriously,” the company said.
“While the name on the sign reflects the brand of the motor fuel being sold on the premises, the convenience store and the day-to-day site operations are the legal responsibility of the wholesaler, site owner and/or operator.”
The Jewish Federation of Broward Country's Rabbi Arnie Samlan told WPLG that the sale of the masks was “shocking yet not surprising.”