A "Miss Hitler" online beauty pageant has been blocked in Russia following an outcry over its glorification of the genocidal leader, according to reports.
The competition, which appeared on a page on Russian social network VKontakte, asked young female contestants to post pictures of themselves in Nazi regalia, making Nazi salutes or expressing devotion to Hitler.
According to a report in the Times, the contest aimed to "promote Hitlerian culture; encourage interaction between the Hitlerian community; clear the image of Hitlerian culture; show beauty of Hitlerian culture".
The page, which was hosted by the Russian equivalent of Facebook, is believed to have attracted thousands of views before it was removed following a complaint by an Israeli watchdog.
The Times reported that government agency Roskomnadzor replaced the page with a message reading: "This community has been blocked because of calls to violence".
Women put themselves forward for the competition under names including Miss Edelweiss and Miss Marta, writing in praise of the Nazi dictator and including antisemitic rants in their entries.
Sky New