The Auchan French supermarket chain has issued an apology, explaining the sale of belts bearing a swastika in stores in Poland “was an oversight”.

According to a statement given to AFP News by company spokeswoman Dorota Patejko, the company was unaware the money belts contained the Nazi symbol, calling it a “regretful oversight”. All the remaining belts have been recalled in response.

The product in question is a military camouflage money belt that bears the swastika.

The swastika is sewn into the fabric and various parts of the belt, customers who purchased the item explained.

The Gazeta Krakowska daily on Monday reported the case of a woman who bought such a belt, in one of the Auchan department stores in Krakow.

“It’s sewn out of camouflage fabric and has various bits of text,” the client said, adding that she only recently realized there was a swastika.

“I’m in shock. I’ve been walking around with a purse with a Nazi symbol for weeks,” she is quoted in the newspaper saying. “I never would have thought a supermarket chain would sell something like this.”

An Auchan supermarket in Kraków was discovered selling bags with a Nazi swastika on them, which is illegal in Poland. The French firm says that the Polish supplier printed the symbol on around a tenth of the bags, which have now been withdrawn from sale https://t.co/f46L9ieHk0 pic.twitter.com/DfQtGj8ncv

— Notes from Poland 🇵🇱 (@notesfrompoland) April 2, 2019

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)