A necklace that Shakira was selling as part of her world tour promotional merchandise includes Nazi symbolism.
USA Today and Newsweek report that the $9.95 pendant — which was available on the Colombian singer's website — features a sun design that is practically identical to the Black Sun symbol, also known as Schwarze Sonne in German. The pendant is stamped with the words "Shakira El Dorado World Tour.
USA Today reports that the Black Sun symbol, which is an ancient occult pattern, is still used in some neo-Nazi occult circles. Twitter users including this one have also commented on the unfortunate product design.
German outlet Bento was the first to report on the similarities and the controversy. Coincidentally, Shakira launched her latest world tour in Germany on June 3.
Two days after that initial report surfaced, the necklace could not be found on Shakira's website. Instead, a similar pendant featuring a sunburst pattern with tiny ovals emanating from a circle was available for purchase for $9.95.
After learning about the controversy, LiveNation tweeted an apology and confirmed the item was no longer for sale. "The necklace Live Nation designed for Shakira's 'El Dorado World Tour' was based on Pre-Colombian imagery. However… some fans have expressed concern that the design bears an unintentional resemblance to Neo-Nazi imagery. We sincerely apologize for this inadvertent similarity and have permanently pulled the item from the tour collection," LiveNation wrote in a series of tweets on June 21.
According to USA Today, "the Black Sun was incorporated into a mosaic on the floor of Wewelsburg Castle in western Germany — the ideological home base of Heinrich Himmler and the SS." The newspaper further reports that though Nazi symbols have been banned in Germany for decades, according to Bento, "the Black Sun is on the list of far-right symbols to watch out for in at least two German states."