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A shocking video caught four costumed Oktoberfest celebrants repeatedly giving the Nazi salute in an East Germany beer hall this week — sparking an intense police and state investigation.
The three men and one woman wearing traditional Bavarian clothing huddled together on Sept. 25 while the Nazi-era marching song “Erika” loudly blares in the background, the footage posted to X, formerly known as Twitter, shows.
With a stein in one hand, a leiderhosen-wearing reveler salutes 14 times in the 16-second clip, as his buddy cracks a smile and follows his lead.
After displaying the disgraceful symbol for several seconds with his full beer raised, the third man put the glass down to better salute.
The woman — who sang along to the music — salutes 7 times before breaking out in dance.
It is not clear whether the bigots were locals or tourists attending the annual event in Bautzen, a town 140 miles south of Berlin.
Investigators were alerted to the disturbing footage, but not before it racked up more than 8 million views on the social media platform.
Police in Saxony, the state where the incident occurred, and the State Security Service have launched investigations into the heinous act, officials confirmed to CBS.
Germany has longstanding laws that ban “symbols of anti-constitutional organizations” including the swastika and SS insignias.
Individuals are banned from using the Nazi salute or declaring “Heil Hitler” in public spaces.
Offenders could be sentenced to up to five years behind bars, depending on their intent.
The Nazi song “Erika,” however, is permitted, despite its composer Herms Niel being a staunch member of the party who created multiple military songs and marches.
The organizers of the Oktoberfest event did not answer CBS’s question as to why the song was playing.
Earlier this week, the Prince of Bavaria bashed Oktoberfest revelers for “wearing costumes to get drunk” at the German beer festival.
Luitpold Rupprecht Heinrich said attendees revel in “cultural appropriation” and the opportunity to party rather than celebrate Germany’s rich history.
The “costumes” are not the only thing dividing the traditional crowd from the new wave of attendees this year, as a switch to selling organic chickens has raised the price of a go-to meal.
The Paulaner Festzelt tent made the decision to serve all-organic hens as an experiment in hopes of emphasizing sustainability, but some are calling it a “Woke Wiesn.”
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