Bank hit by 'neo-Nazi ad' scandal

Bloggers are enraged by billboard advertisements for a bank in the Russian city of Ekaterinburg. They claim the ad has an encrypted message that glorifies Nazi ideology. Bank officials have called the scandal a plot by ‘some outcasts’ reports the Gazeta.ru news site.

The controversial ad is part of the bank’s campaign timed to coincide with the Victory Day celebrations in Russia. It's offering a 14.88 per cent interest rate on deposits made by World War II veterans.

The ‘encrypted neo-Nazi message’, according to bloggers, is in that very number. Both 14 and 88 hold special meaning for neo-Nazis: 14 is the number of words in a slogan authored by notorious white nationalist leader and ideologist David Lane, while 88 stands for the Nazi salute ‘Heil Hitler’ as ‘H’ is the eighth letter of the alphabet.

The bank’s management reject all accusations and say the outrage stems from ‘pervert outcasts, roaming around in search for hidden symbols and made public by irresponsible people who spread such stories.'

Advertising regulators say they have no proof or even suspicion that the ad was meant to have some hidden meaning.

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