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A Chicago high school principal was suspended over his response to a student who goose-stepped across a stage in a German military uniform while performing a Nazi salute.

The incident occurred during the school’s October 31 Halloween contest, the New York Post reported.

Jones College Prep Principal Joseph Powers was pictured standing next to the costumed student in a photo posted to Twitter.

Footage posted to Twitter showed the student goose-stepping across a stage while making a Nazi salute. The student was booed by members of the audience.

When students complained to Powers, he replied that the student’s costume was that of a soldier from communist East Germany, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.

“I tried to explain the context and time period of the uniform to the students who spoke with me, but apparently the student who wore the uniform may have told people it was from the 1940s,” Powers wrote in a memo to school staff, the news outlet reported.

He also addressed parents in a separate letter, writing: “Many of our students and staff came to school on Monday, October 31, dressed in Halloween costumes. We held a costume contest in the afternoon during Ac Lab, which was fun and well-received,” the Chicago Tribune reported.

“Amid all the other costumes, a member of our school community wore a military surplus army uniform. Staff and students expressed their concerns about the uniform, believing that it represented an expression of antisemitism. Additionally, a video of the costume parade has since appeared on social media,” he said in the notice.

He added: “I certainly understand and regret the discomfort and harm felt by some members of our school community. Please be assured that we take the well-being of all students seriously and do not tolerate hateful expressions of any kind. In this situation, it certainly appears this was not the intent of the Halloween costume.”