Key rings bearing an Adolf Hitler-style cartoon figure have caused an outrage after going on sale in Taiwan.
The items, seen in several convenience stores in Taipei, sported an Adolf Hitler look-alike cartoon figure with a short black moustache, a brown jacket and a red-black-and-white symbol reminiscent of the Nazis'' swastika banners.
The sale of the key rings has triggered a strong reaction from the Israel Economic and Cultural Office, the Telegraph reports.
“We were appalled to see the Hitler lookalike image being used, again, as marketing aid, and sold in Taiwan's 7-Eleven stores,” the paper quoted Simona Halperin, representative of the Israel Economic and Cultural Office in Taipei, as saying.
Halperin added that she was sure the images were the result of ‘ignorance’ and did not reflect “support or identification with the atrocities committed during the Holocaust by the Nazis.”
An official from President Chain Store Corp, which runs 7-Eleven in Taiwan, has, however, denied the images represent the German dictator.
“They don't look like Hitler. It's not a moustache, but a tooth,” the official said referring to a black square in the middle of the figure’s face.