Rumours have been spreading this week over social media claiming that popular furnishing store IKEA are selling a swastika shaped dining table called “haldolf”.
The rumours also assert that the table is on offer for 88 euros, a nod to the Heil Hitler expression that was common during the second world war.
And like any successful rumour, there is a photo attached. In this case the photo purports to show the offending table on offer at IKEA, which has been shared numerous times over Facebook and Twitter, mostly from users in Italy in Germany.
The rumours spread on social media mostly in German or Italian
However the rumours are false, and this does not appear to be a real product, and certainly not one sold by IKEA. IKEA themselves have dismissed the rumour, claiming via a spokesperson –
It is of course clear that such a table is not part of our program, either in Italy or anywhere else.
Not only that, but according to various reports, IKEA have promised to launch legal action if they find the prankster who started the rumour in the first place. Hardly surprising, since any association with Nazism is enough to seriously tarnish the reputation of any company. But what would be surprising is if IKEA actually found the hoaxer responsible. In our experience, rumours that are fuelled via social media like this one are almost impossible to track down to the source. We doubt the prankster is going to be too worried by IKEA’s threat.
Did you see the Halolf table rumour spread on the Internet, and did you believe it?
