anti-nazi merchandise confusion

[MrBern]

http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/view.php?StoryID=20060927-043237-2818r

German citizen fined for selling mail order merchandise w/ nazi symbol. However its actually ANTI-nazi items.

 

[The Wingnut]

Common sense...

...aparrently isn't.

 

[Baron Kurtz]

No such thing as common sense in the Law ... The Law is the only sense to be noted. In every sense. Rightly or wrongly the swastika is illegal in Germany.

Germany's federal court of justice ruled in 1973 it was legal to produce a swastika provided it had clearly been altered for the purposes of protesting against Nazism

Apparently this chap didn't alter it enough or it was not clear enough that he was protesting Nazism (ie. it has to be clear enough to someone who knows nothing about him or his cause, and just sees whatever he was selling in passing, that he is not a Neo).

bk

 

[Marv]

Maybe he should have mentioned that it was originally an " ancient peace symbol " found on eastern spiritual statues, that would have thrown a spanner in the works.

 

[MrBern]

Apparently this chap didn't alter it enough or it was not clear enough that he was protesting Nazism (ie. it has to be clear enough to someone who knows nothing about him or his cause, and just sees whatever he was selling in passing, that he is not a Neo).

bk

I thought the article stated that it had the big circle w/ slash indicating NO. Like in the ghostbuster's logo.
That seems clear.
Perhaps neo-nazis are wearing it anyway?

 

[Baron Kurtz]

yes, i read that, and am as perplexed as anyone else as to why this is not considered an obvious protest of Nazism. Yet, clearly the prosecutors believe they have a case ...

bk

 

[Alighieri]

This is the same PC nonsense that we have in this country. We are so afraid of offending anyone that we would prosecute people who actually support the "good" cause. That is the problem with writing laws you must make them fit real life, and real life is difficult to define. And banning any item\thing\symbol creates an admiriation for it as well as a legal mess to mitigate.

Alighieri

Speaking of Banning, what's up with the current ban on talking politics? I just got back from vacation and saw the sticky