German Politicians Want European Ban Against Swastikas
Several top German politicians are reacting to the Prince Harry Nazi costume incident by asking for a ban on swastikas in Europe. Markus Soeder (Christian Social Party): "In a Europe of peace and freedom there should be no place for Nazi symbols."
Wolfgang Bosbach, Christian Union Party Deputy President, says: "Nazi symbols are unbearable for the victims of the Nazi regime". These politicians are saying the ban in Germany is not enough, and they want it extended throughout Europe.
Wolfgang Bosbach adds that European justice ministers will probably bring this issue up for discussion.
Achtung baby, we all know you guys have a bit of a guilty conscious (being ex-Nazi Germany and all) but please, stop trying to give the rest of Europe one as well.
/thinking of holding a fancy dress party //going as an SS officer
If other countries want to be too controlling let them ban them, but dont go "ask" for a european ban on them. The europeans have no sense of humour, unlike us Brits..woooo
After all, muslims flew into the twin towers killing 3000ish people in the name of islam, so should we ban the islamic symbol (forgot what it is called) as well? Hell, don't stop there, ban St.George's cross, how many people die at the hand of the crusaders? But we don't ban that. You see my point? If a swastika is placed in a nasty place, its illegal anyway because its vandalism, and when it is used legally, its mass condemned and we are reminded of the attrocities of the nazis and to NOT commit them again. If you take away the swastika, we'll forget about the nazis, and hence forget about the lessons we should learn from their mistakes. I'd go as far as to say that because of this, it would make it all to easy to repeat what the nazis did.
well you know its sad that people let the nazi's competely take over the symbol as something bad, because before it had better meanings to it... maybe people should try remembering the symbol as something good instead of the bad use it had for a small amount of years. here is a good article that shows my perspective. http://www.iearn.org/
And another point, it would be like banning the american flag. To some native americans, the american flag will mean to them what the swastika means to nazis, in a way.
You're not making a lot of sense. Nazis aren't a religious sect. Their doctrine isn't a religion (as opposed to Christianity, Islam and Judaism), so it's not very logical to compare their symbols. Secondly, What do you mean by "the symbol of islam"?? The Moon? or the Sword? Either way, Islam as a religion doesn't really have a unifying symbol (as compared to the Cross or the Star of David)... and furthermore, Some christians took part in the crusades, some muslims killed thousands of people all over the world (although how many that 'some' is, remains to be seen...) my point is, all Nazis took part in the events that gave them such a bad name...
Personally however, although I disagree with your logic, I agree somewhat with what you're saying... it's old news, enough with banning... Germans seem to get some sick satisfaction out of bashing themselves again and again for what happened in WWII... I say people should be free to wear whatever they want and say whatever they want as long as they don't hurt others...
this could go on forever. If everyone was allowed to wear what they wanted as long as it didnt hurt anyone, where are the limits? Someone may say you wearing a green shirt, for example, hurts them mentally because of some old memory or something silly. And with the compensation culture that is currently destroying America and the UK you need to be super ultra massivly careful you dont "offend some-one".
I agree with your point but unfortunately some people dont and it is those poeple that will do anything to get what they want. And they say "it's in everyones best interests"..by everyone they actually mean "their best interest" lol
tempest, Nazis were pretty close to being considered a religous sect. They believed (emphasis on "believed") that the Arian race were righteous, and even searched for old artifacts they claimed proved their heritage. In my opinion, it was almost a religous faith. The Islamic symbol I'm pretty sure is that of the moon and the star, though as you say it isn't as well established as the cross or star of david.
I just read to day in The Times that Hindus in the UK are trying to market the swastika as a Hindu religious symbol, partly in an attempt to kick off the association that it has with the Nazis. I think maybe that is the way to go, since the Hindus have used it for generations - it shouldn't be banned because of some 20th century German lunatics. Symbols are like words - its what is associated with them that causes the problem. For example, the word 'fanny' in the UK is seen as a swear word (referring to a womans genitals) whereas in Australia its a water container. So while us Brits might therefore want to ban that word, the Aussies would think we're mad. Get ppl to see a word with a new meaning and its no longer offensive. Do the same with symbols.
