An Australian nurse and lifestyle influencer issued an apology after posting a video in which she appeared to perform a Nazi salute.
In a Thursday TikTok video in which Aimee Connor demonstrated a day in her life and how she prepared in the morning, the nurse raised her arm in a straight-armed Nazi salute before switching to a palm salute and back.
The video was deleted from her 1.2 million-follower TikTok account and 140,000-follower Instagram account by Friday.
Connor apologized in a Friday Instagram story, explaining that the action was meant to be an army salute to signify her readiness to work.
“I understand how some people may have misinterpreted this, and I regret that,” wrote Conner. “I sincerely apologize if my unintentional actions have caused any offense or hurt. I want to make it clear that I am not racist, nor do I tolerate racism in any way, shape, or form.”
In a follow-up to the statement, a distraught-looking Conner explained that a screenshot of the salute was being shared “out of context.”
Conner said performing a Nazi salute was “never my intention, and I do not in any way support or condone hate or extremism of any kind.”
The influencer said that military service people may have been disrespected by her salutes and explained that she had not meant to cause offense to them.
Cleared of any wrongdoing
While Nazi salutes were banned in Australia last January, she said law enforcement had reviewed the incident and cleared her of any wrongdoing.
Connor noted that she had also passed on threats that she had received against her family to the police, explaining that she would not take them lightly. She urged those sending her threats to stop.
“We have received some extremely concerning messages and threats against me and my family, which is far beyond anything that I could have imagined,” said Connor.
Physicians Against Antisemitism on Saturday slammed Connor for apologizing to members of the military for misusing their salutes rather than the victims of the Nazis. On Instagram, the group dismissed her claim that she had intended an army salute and said she was gaslighting by framing her actions as having been misinterpreted.