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HONG KONG, China (AP) -- A Coca-Cola promotion in Hong Kong that features a Japanese robot adorned with swastikas has drawn criticism today from a Jewish leader who said stores should stop selling the toys.
Rabbi Yakkov Kermaier of Ohel Leah Synagogue said the reminder of Nazi atrocities probably resulted from an honest mistake, but he called toy sets featuring the "Robocon" characters unacceptable.
One character, the robot-like "Robowaru," has two swastikas on its chest and can be bought here for 28 Hong Kong dollars, or $3.60, with any purchase of six bottles of Coke. The figurines stand on small plastic pedestals with Coca-Cola logos on them.
Kermaier said, "It's not simply a political incorrect symbol. It's an emblem that represents the wholesale slaughter of six million Jews."
Kermaier acknowledged the Nazi swastika can easily be confused with Buddhist swastikas that are common in Asia. The two symbols are close to being reverse images of one another, with the arms pointing in opposite directions.
Coca-Cola spokeswoman Elsie Tsui said the figurines were made according to the original Robowaru design, but she declined any other immediate comment.
At Animation International, which sells rights for Robocon in the region and worked with Coca-Cola on the toys, spokeswoman Jennifer Chan said the symbols were designed by the creator and did not have anything to do with any organization or religion.
http://edition.cnn.com/virtual/editions/europe/2000/roof/change.pop/frameset.exclude.html
Rabbi Yakkov Kermaier of Ohel Leah Synagogue said the reminder of Nazi atrocities probably resulted from an honest mistake, but he called toy sets featuring the "Robocon" characters unacceptable.
One character, the robot-like "Robowaru," has two swastikas on its chest and can be bought here for 28 Hong Kong dollars, or $3.60, with any purchase of six bottles of Coke. The figurines stand on small plastic pedestals with Coca-Cola logos on them.
Kermaier said, "It's not simply a political incorrect symbol. It's an emblem that represents the wholesale slaughter of six million Jews."
Kermaier acknowledged the Nazi swastika can easily be confused with Buddhist swastikas that are common in Asia. The two symbols are close to being reverse images of one another, with the arms pointing in opposite directions.
Coca-Cola spokeswoman Elsie Tsui said the figurines were made according to the original Robowaru design, but she declined any other immediate comment.
At Animation International, which sells rights for Robocon in the region and worked with Coca-Cola on the toys, spokeswoman Jennifer Chan said the symbols were designed by the creator and did not have anything to do with any organization or religion.
http://edition.cnn.com/virtual/editions/europe/2000/roof/change.pop/frameset.exclude.html