Some sellers don’t even tried to hide it. Distributed online via a Google doc, the manifesto of the Buffalo shooter was rife with hateful content and images explaining the racist logic behind his actions. Amid various conspiracy theories about the so-called “Great Replacement,” a particular image stood out: A sonnenrad. An eerie and ancient glyph representing a “black sun,” the image is an increasingly popular symbol among the far-right and white supremacists. That’s because the symbol, which is also known as a “sunwheel” and dates back to ancient Germanic and other European tribes, has another name: The “substitute swastika.” The symbol was endorsed by the upper echelons of the Third Reich during the Nazi’s rise to power. In the decades since, it’s filtered down to today’s white supremacist mass shooters. But because it’s a lesser-known Nazi symbol, the sonnenrad is still commonplace on many online marketplaces. A significant number of items featuring sonnenrad imagery are available on e-commerce and craft marketplace giant Etsy, sold by independent merchants, who often don’t deny its ties to neo-Nazi groups. A search for “sonnenrad” on Etsy returns over a thousand results, (including ads from sellers wanting to highlight their products), most of which feature a particular design of sonnenrad that was featured on the floor of Wewelsburg Castle, a major occult headquarters for Nazi leadership.
via dailydot: Etsy’s marketplace is a haven for those looking to purchase ‘substitute swastikas’
