A NSW nurse says she never meant to cause offence by performing an exaggerated salute in a video uploaded to her 1.2 million followers.
An Australian nurse and influencer with 1.2 million TikTok followers has apologised to veterans after posting a video performing what many interpreted as a Nazi salute.
In the clip, New South Wales (NSW) mother Aimee Connor shows herself getting ready for a nursing shift. She pulls her hand up to her forehead in an army salute, before moving her arm straight out and up and holding it in place.
The video quickly spread through social media channels, with many expressing concern the gesture was a Nazi salute.
In a second video posted on April 19, Connor addressed the since-removed clip, saying she realised it caused “a lot of chaos and hurt.”
“In that clip, I made what was intended to be a soldier’s salute, but a screenshot of that moment has been circulated and accused of being a Nazi salute,” she said.
“I want to be absolutely clear that was never my intention and I do not in any way support or condone hate or extremism of any kind.”
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While much of the outrage was expressed from the Jewish community, Connor apologised specifically to veterans for performing an army salute.
“I’ve taken some time to reflect and I understand the deep significance a salute holds, especially for those in the armed forces,” Connor said.
“As someone who has not served, I realise it was not my place to use that gesture even in a light-hearted way and for that I am deeply sorry.”
Connor told her followers that police had taken the matter seriously and had investigated, clearing her of any wrongdoing.
The famous TikTokker said she would be learning and doing better, and would take a break over Easter.
She also claimed to have received threats from some outraged viewers, which she said she was reporting to the police.
A NSW Police Force spokesperson was not able to comment on the case.
The maximum sentence for performing a Nazi salute in the state of NSW is 12 months’ prison if found guilty.
Surge in Anti-Semitism
Australian Jewish Association CEO Robert Gregory said the influencer’s intentions were unclear but expressed concern over growing anti-Semitic sentiments in Australia since the Oct. 7 Hamas terror attacks in Israel in 2023.
“The salute certainly resembled a Nazi salute, although we understand that she claimed it was not intended as one,” he said.
“Only she will know her true intention but the fact that she has a history of anti-Israel activism is a major red flag.”
Gregory said anti-Semitism had started to emerge across the political spectrum, particularly among the far-left.
“She should reflect on her actions and how they impacted the Jewish community,” he said.
Heightened Concern
The concern over the clip comes following footage that emerged of two other unrelated NSW nurses boasting about killing Israeli patients earlier this year.
The Nursing and Midwifery Council of NSW suspended the registrations of Ahmad Rashad Nadir and Sarah Abu Lebdeh in February after a video recorded by an Israeli influencer captured the claims.
Nadir was charged with using a carriage service to menace, harass and offend and possessing a prohibited drug.
Lebdeh was charged earlier this month with threatening violence to a group, using a carriage service to threaten to kill and using a carriage service to menace/harass/offend.
The cases against both Nadir and Lebdeh are still before the courts.
