Word: nazis
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...nation ever escape its history?" there is a definitive answer: no. The gnome's gesture has touched a raw nerve, but so does almost everything Germany does: the country is under steady suspicion. Let's be honest. Imagine if Germany did "move on" and abolished the anti-Nazi criminal laws. I'm fairly sure that Time would be the first with the big headline: GERMANY PAVES THE WAY FOR THE RETURN OF NAZISM! So let's be realistic and accept the consequences of history. Istvan Nagy, WASSELONNE, FRANCE
...Germany will not tolerate Nazi symbols for a couple of generations. Simply seeing the swastika causes most Germans terrible anguish. Besides, why should public display of a symbol be legally permitted when the party it stands for is verboten? Alan Benson, BERLIN...
...trying to forget it, the country would surely be in a far better position. It is widely reported that the far right is on the rise in Europe. By banning these organizations we only add fuel to their fire and, more worryingly, force them underground. Banning reprints of Nazi books only restricts learning about past horrors and is tantamount to Nazi book-burning. Banning gnomes is ridiculous; even the Nazis would not have done that. Neil McLennan, EDINBURGH...
...glad that we Germans have laws that ensure values such as human rights, freedom of speech and democracy. Nazi symbols stand for the Nazi regime, thus they are hostile toward democratic values. Allowing people to draw swastikas or give the Hitler salute is not a sign of moving on but one of wilful ignorance. We have anti-Nazi legislation so that people of all generations are reminded of what fascism means. I am proud that we, unlike many other societies, remind ourselves of not only our good deeds but also of our bad ones. By repealing our anti-Nazi laws...
...This controversy about the prohibition of Nazi symbols is merely a form of window dressing. The awful truth is that most war criminals have never been tried or punished. In many cases they simply returned to their normal lives and professions in German society. Hence it is not surprising that the hunt for these by now aging war criminals still goes on today. That's why Germany's "constant struggle to distance itself from its past" might mean it is doomed never to escape it. Roger Jansoone, ICHTEGEM, BELGIUM...