The US Army and Navy academies are investigating students who allegedly gave hand signs associated with white supremacist groups during the annual Army-Navy football game, which was attended by President Donald Trump (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds)
<p>Washington (AFP) – The US Military Academy at West point said Monday it is investigating the apparent display of "white power" hand gestures by cadets this weekend during the nationally televised annual Army-Navy football game.</p><p>"The US Military Academy is fully committed to developing leaders of character who embody the Army values," West Point Superintendent, Lieutenant General Darryl Williams, said in a statement.</p><p>"I have appointed an investigating officer according to Army regulation 15-6, to conduct an administrative investigation into the facts, circumstances and intent of the cadets in question," he said.</p><p>Before the game Saturday, which was attended by President Donald Trump, at least two West Point cadets and a US Naval Academy midshipman were seen holding out their hands in an inverted "OK" gesture that has become popular with white supremacist groups.</p><p>The military academy students made the hand gestures conspicuously as they stood behind an ESPN commentator as he spoke on live television.</p><p>Earlier a spokeswoman for the naval academy in Annapolis, Maryland told US media they were also looking into the incident.</p><p>Last year the US Coast Guard reprimanded an officer who flashed the same hand sign during a television broadcast.</p><p>Earlier this year West Point removed a slogan from its football team spirit flag because it had also become associated with racist and hate groups.</p><p>The flag featured a skull and crossbones and the letters "GFBD" which stood for "God Forgives, Brothers Don’t."</p><p>The motto is used by, among others, the violent, all-white Aryan Brotherhood prison gang.</p><p>For decades the all-OK sign — thumb and index finger in a circle and three other fingers extended upward — has been a near-universal positive gesture.</p><p>The Anti-Defamation League says that the OK hand sign — especially when displayed inverted, below the waist — has become popular among some white supremacists in recent years, and is also used by conservatives simply to provoke liberals.</p><p>"Use of the ‘OK’ gesture has spread beyond the far right and can now also be found within the broad community of mainstream Donald Trump supporters — some of whom seem to have no idea of its origins," the groups says.</p><p>Brenton Tarrant, the racist who murdered 51 people in attacks on two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand on March 15, 2019, flashed the same hand signal — an inverted "OK" below the waist" — when he first appeared in court after his arrest.</p><p></p>

Disclaimer: Validity of the above story is for 7 Days from original date of publishing. Source: AFP.