NEW PRAGUE, Minn. — Editor's Note: The video above originally aired on KARE 11 on Feb. 28, 2022.
New Prague Area Schools has responded to accusations that several students used a racist hand gesture at the Minnesota Boys State Hockey Tournament Wednesday night.
Photos making the rounds on social media showed a student, whose face isn't visible in the image, making what appears to be a hand symbol that signifies white supremacy while sitting behind New Prague coach Brad Drazan at the tournament. The gesture also looks like the "OK" hand symbol.
Following outrage on social media, the district released a statement Wednesday night and said that the "upper elementary" students responsible were questioned but claimed they didn't know what the symbol meant. "They were mimicking something they saw at an earlier hockey game on the big screen. We have no reason to believe they knew it could signify white supremacy," the statement read.
You can read the full statement below:
Tonight at the boys state hockey tournament two New Prague upper elementary students made the “ok” hand gesture. In addition to being the “ok” hand gesture, it can be used to signify white supremacy. School administration addressed the situation immediately after they were made aware of the situation. When questioned, the students did not understand what the signal meant. They were mimicking something they saw at an earlier hockey game on the big screen. We have no reason to believe they knew it could signify white supremacy. While we know this is very upsetting to many, please be assured we feel confident that the students were not intending to send a message of white supremacy when they made the gesture.
Thursday morning, the Minnesota State High School League issued a statement saying that the organization "condemns all actions that are intended to cause racial harm in any way." Neither the MSHSL nor New Prague has clarified the ages of the students who were allegedly involved.
The incident at the hockey game against Hermantown is the latest accusation of racism made in New Prague schools.
At two separate incidents at sporting events, student athletes from visiting schools were subjected to racist comments from students and adults from New Prague. Both incidents occurred on Feb. 15 — one at a girls basketball game against Robbinsdale Cooper High School, and the other at a boys hockey game against St. Louis Park.
Robbinsdale Area Schools and St. Louis Park districts said they won't compete with New Prague until further notice.
When asked by KARE 11 reporter Kent Erdahl how his district reassured other schools that they have a safe environment to compete in, New Prague Superintendent Tim Dittberner said, "We've talked to our student athletes, our principal did a great job addressing the entire student body. We're having listening sessions and we're in communication with them and I think it's something that, what's happened we denounce, but we're going to move forward and improve the situation that we're in."
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