BERLIN - A court ruled Thursday that Nazi symbols may be used to protest extremism, overturning a verdict against a man who sold paraphernalia with crossed-out and smashed swastikas - a decision hailed as a victory in the fight against the far right.
Juergen Kamm's mail-order company, Nix Gut, did not violate the spirit of a law banning the distribution of symbols used by Adolf Hitler's party by producing and selling anti-Nazi stickers, buttons and T-shirts over the Internet, the Federal Court of Justice said.
Presiding Judge Walter Winkler rejected a ruling by a lower court in Stuttgart that Kamm's productions could be misused by neo-Nazis.
"The court is convinced of the fact that members of extreme-right organizations would never make use of items that make a mockery of their 'holy' symbols," he said in his written opinion. He added, however, that for the symbols to be legal, the anti-Nazi meaning has to be immediately apparent.....
No comments:
Post a Comment