Group behind flying swastika says banner was meant for peace

New Jersey beachgoers were startled over the weekend to see a small plane flying overhead pulling a swastika banner.

Twitter was abuzz with tweets from people who saw the plane fly over Long Beach Island on Saturday afternoon.
The group behind the flight says it wasn’t meant as a representation of hate. The International Raelian Movement says the swastika is actually a symbol of peace and beauty that was corrupted by Nazis in 20th century Germany.

On its website, the group writes that the flight was part of its third swastika rehabilitation day.

Don Pripstein, president of the Jewish Community Center of Long Beach Island, says whatever the group’s intentions are, the image is still horrific for many Jews whose relatives were killed in the Holocaust.