The New York Times Speaks Out on Claims Its Crossword Resembles Swastika

The New York Times has spoken out in response to social media claims that its crossword published Sunday resembles a Nazi swastika.

Images of the crossword were shared on Twitter, and a host of detractors also pointed out that the puzzle was published on the eve of the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah.

Democratic strategist Keith Edwards was among those who shared criticism of the puzzle, tweeting: "This is the NYTimes crossword puzzle today on the first day of Hanukkah. What the hell, @nytimes?"

In a follow-up tweet in response to criticism of his initial statement, he wrote, "I personally believe swastikas shouldn't appear in the New York Times, intentionally or otherwise. Didn't think that would be a controversial take."

Daily Wire senior writer Ryan Saavedra also weighed in on the image, writing on the social media platform: "[W]hy is The New York Times' crossword a swastika?"

"Today's New York Times crossword is um...making me nervous," commented Jewish Journal columnist Blake Flayton.

Flayton also said in his Monday tweet that "this has happened before." He quote-tweeted an October 2017 post from the verified New York Times Games account that read: "Yes, hi. It's NOT a swastika. Honest to God. No one sits down to make a crossword puzzle and says, 'Hey! You know what would look cool?'"

Another Twitter user pointed out that one of the clues was for Berlin's Brandenburg Gate, which Nazi soldiers marched through in 1939 while observing Adolf Hitler's 50th birthday.

Despite the online speculation, Jordan Cohen, executive director of communications at the Times, told Newsweek that the only intentional aspect of the crossword's appearance was its symmetry.

"This is a common crossword design: Many open grids in crosswords have a similar spiral pattern because of the rules around rotational symmetry and black squares," Cohen said in a statement.

The Times' Caitlin Lovinger wrote about the crossword in her column on Sunday, saying: "I love the geometry in this puzzle—so many stair steps!—and feel that it contributes to a certain evenness in the solve.

"Most of the entries that first caught my eye were of medium length—five or six letters long, bulky enough to give me lots of letters to use in chipping away at each corner—and the whole grid came together all at once," she said.

Ryan McCarty, the puzzle's constructor, said in the Times that he was "thrilled" to have his first Sunday crossword in the publication. "This grid features one of my favorite open middles that I've made as it pulls from a variety of subject areas. I had originally tried to make it work in a 15x15 grid but then decided to expand the grid out to a Sunday-size puzzle with a fun whirlpool shape. Hope you enjoy!"

Beleaguered musician and fashion designer Kanye "Ye" West was permanently suspended from Twitter earlier this month for posting the Star of David, a symbol of Judaism, over the swastika, an ancient Hindu symbol that was later appropriated as an emblem of Nazi Germany.