A neo-Nazi beauty pageant that takes place online has attracted top contestants from the United States and Europe, even though the online competition has been banned by an array of social media platforms.
The online pageant, advertised as "Miss Hitler 2021," was launched several years ago and is being promoted on the Russian social media site Vkontakte, even though the online platform banned the organization behind the pageant in the past. Several contestants who participated "were arrested on charges related to extremism," according to the Middle East Media Research Institute, a watchdog group that recently codified a dossier on the contest and its participants.
Adolf Hitler's Nazi regime killed anywhere from 15 to 17 million Russian civilians during World War II.
The pageant is scheduled to run from Aug. 8 through Sept. 3, when online voting ends. Organizers said photos of the white supremacist women will be posted across unnamed social media sites to facilitate voting.
While Vkontakte has tried to stop the pageant's organizers from promoting their hate fest, the contest still advertises on the platform, highlighting the ongoing problems these types of platforms face when trying to crack down on extremist material. This year's pageant is taking place amid a historic rise in anti-Semitism and hate crimes across the globe.
A recent posting from the pageant's organizers displayed five contestants, including one from the United States.
"I entered this pageant because not only do I believe in National Socialism, but I am a dreamer, much like the Führer was," the unnamed contestant wrote in her biography, according to the Middle East Media Research Institute. "I believe in traditional families and their roles. Unfortunately, in today's society it's becoming increasingly difficult for a woman to keep her place as a hausfrau."
Other contestants are from Britain, France, and Hungary.
