BRUSSELS, January 29, 2007: (HPI note: None of the articles we found on this announcement by Germany mentioned the vociferous protests of Hindus and Jains, for whom the swastika is a sacred symbol of good fortune.) Germany will not push during its presidency of the European Union for an EU-wide ban on the swastika and will leave the decision to punish Holocaust deniers in the hands of member states, Berlin said on Monday. Germany said earlier this month it wanted to harmonize rules throughout the 27-member bloc for dealing with Holocaust deniers and for punishing displays of the symbol of Adolf Hitler’s Nazi party, banned in Germany and several other states.
But, setting out plans for an EU-wide anti-racism law on Monday, it said it would not seek to prohibit “specific symbols such as swastikas.” The German statement did not say why it had decided against pushing for EU bans on swastikas, but some other EU countries are wary of such legislation and so a community-wide ban may not be achievable.
Germany’s new draft suggests that incitement to racism and xenophobia would be punishable by at least 1 to 3 years of jail in all 27 EU states, while leaving to each state to decide on the specifics.