You have the eyes of a hawk, Graham.

I didn't notice it myself so I checked and there's indeed a swastika on the tent.

I was as suprised as you obviously were, so I did some research. While nowadays the swastika most of the times is linked to fascism, the swastika is a sign originally used from ancient times onwards in various cultures worldwide and generally stands for vitality, happiness and holiness. Thus it is one of the holiest signs in hinduism and jainism and is also used in buddhism. The symbol also appears on early christian tombs in the catacombs near Rome, on greek and roman mosaic floors and on wooden clogs from norwegian vikings from the early middle ages. The oldest swastikas were found among the early inhabitants of the eurasian continent (the Indus civilisation), but they were possibly used independently by the indians of America.

I guess that's the way (or the reason) they appeared on the tent in this cartoon. By the time the film was made though, the swastika as a symbol of fascism was already well known (at least in Europe). Without further information about the cartoon and it's makers I believe the question whether the use of the symbol in this cartoon was the innocent use of an ancient symbol of positivism, or a fascist provocation, cannot be answered.

(All this information can be found on the internet and elsewhere, from many different reputable sources).

Last edited by frans (28/10/2019 6:50 pm)

Think also it was a sign of good luck. If this is so that, perhaps, was the reason that Hitler used it - good luck didn’t last too long but long enough to cause a lot of  horror and suffering.