Umbro drops its Zyklon shoe after Jewish protests
Umbro drops its Zyklon shoe after Jewish protests 12:01AM BST 29 Aug 2002Umbro, the sportswear manufacturer, apologised yesterday for calling one of its running shoes Zyklon, the same name as the lethal gas used by the Nazis during the Holocaust.The company agreed to drop the name after complaints from Jewish groups including the Board of Deputies of British Jews, which condemned Umbro for "appalling insensitivity".RA spokesman for Umbro said: "We regret that there are people who are offended by the name. The naming of the shoe is purely coincidental and was not intended to communicate any connotations."The Nazis used Zyklon B, originally an insecticide, in extermination camps during the Second World War.As soon as the crystals were exposed to the air they turned into a lethal gas. Any person breathing it died within minutes.The name Zyklon does not appear on the shoe itself but has been on the sides of boxes for the trainer since its launch in 1999 and is used on d...