The official parade for Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee featured one float that was mistakenly adorned with the esoteric Nazi ‘Black Sun’ symbol.
On Sunday, the United Kingdom concluded their four day celebrations for Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee, celebrating 70 years on the throne. As part of the festivities, a parade was organised that snaked through the streets of London up to Buckingham Palace.
One section of the pageant was meant to show a “vibrant display of British life since 1952,” and included one float depicting the Northern Soul music scene of the 1970s. However, making a surprise appearance on the parade float was a Black Sun, an esoteric symbol used by Nazis and white supremacists.
So are we not gonna talk about the Northern Soul float with the Nazi symbol, or? pic.twitter.com/MFhcUFt94y
— Max Kashevsky (@MaxKashevsky) June 5, 2022
After a number of people highlighted the symbol being included in the parade on Twitter, the Platinum Jubilee Pageant Company apologised for any offence that was caused, claiming that it was an unfortunate accident.
“This is a genuine mistake and we apologise for the offence caused. The act intended to represent the Twisted Wheel Club associated with Northern Soul music from 60s and 70s, and the symbol was unfortunately mislabelled on search engines,” the company said.
#wigan makes it in the #PlatinumJubileePageant #northernsoul #wigancasino pic.twitter.com/RSPwBs2KCO
— garethfairhurst (@cllrgwfairhurst) June 5, 2022
The logo for the Twisted Wheel Club, one of the first clubs in England to play Northern Soul, bares some similarities to the Black Sun image, featuring a similar radial spokes from a circle.
Lads do we think it’s more likely that middle aged northern soul fans are
1. Openly and brazenly displaying niche nazi imagery despite no (known) previous OR
2. This looks at lot like versions the Twisted Wheel and they aren’t that good at image search. Touch some grass I beg. https://t.co/FXNJiLgONq pic.twitter.com/JEPEFByDuI— sorrel (@Sorrelish) June 5, 2022
“This is an error with no malicious intent. Anyone who has seen the Pageant will know that the Pageant is all about inclusivity, tolerance and unity and this symbol does not correlate with anything it stands for,” the statement added.
Valiant News verified that when searching “northern soul” on Google Images, the Black Sun does appear, reflecting its inclusion on certain stock image sites, including Shutterstock. However, it did not appear when looking up “twisted wheel club” or similar searches.
Also known as the Sonnenrad, the Black Sun features 12 “sig” runes, and was first seen when SS leader Heinrich Himmler ordered a redesign of Wewelsburg castle. Intended to be a centre for the SS, the Black Sun was designed to evoke the organisation, as the sig runes are similar to the Nazi group’s logo.
The Black Sun has gained more prominent attention in recent weeks, as fighters from Ukraine’s Azov Battalion have been pictured multiple times with the logo adorned on their uniforms.
Ukrainian servicemen help evacuate civilians near Irpin, #Ukraine. Three civilians were killed as Russian mortar rounds landed, striking a route used by civilians fleeing southeast toward #Kyiv. 📸: @sia_vlasova pic.twitter.com/IOW60L03tu
— Getty Images News (@GettyImagesNews) March 6, 2022
