XXX Date On-line

Standing in a Moscow Metro carriage for the first time, the young Gabonese man was thrown forward when the train started with a jolt and he grabbed a pole to keep his balance, brushing the Russian man’s hand.

Without a word, the Russian withdrew his hand, produced a handkerchief and proceeded to wipe it dating jewish online in front of the other passengers.

Christian, a former electrical engineering student from Cameroon now working in Moscow, was recently assaulted by a group of about 10 teenagers on a Metro train in the city centre.

Struck by a bottle on the head, he fell in a pool of blood. The driver kept the carriage doors shut at the next station and police caught three of the gang, but Christian thinks no action was taken.

He hit me and I tried to hit him back, but another one struck me from behind Mukhtar Ahmed Osman Somali blood on the snow

When Somali civil engineering student Mukhtar Ahmed Osman was beaten unconscious in the snow by a gang of teenagers in a Moscow suburb, nobody came to his aid.

While much of the violence seems to be purely racist, some believe Africans are also targeted as scapegoats for Russian society’s ills and the media is often accused of fostering an image of African students as drug-dealers.

The attacks have turned murderous in recent years. In St Petersburg, three Africans have been killed in suspected race attacks since September.

Non-African foreign students have also been murdered, but it is the black students who attract most attention from the racists.

Juldas, now leader of the African students at RUDN, says “monkey” insults and actual assaults are so frequent that students have ceased reporting them.

“We see it as normal now because that’s how we live.”

Education intact

Gabriel Anicet Kotchofa, head of the Foreign Students’ Association in Russia, offers fellow Africans considering an education in Russia two pieces of advice: “Consider your personal safety” and “Make sure your parents can pay your living costs”.

Photojournal: A student’s day

Such considerations did not exist when he arrived in Moscow a quarter of a century ago from Benin.

No Soviet citizen, he recalls, would have dared raise their hand against a foreigner, and the USSR bore all the costs of its student “guests” from the developing world.

Benin was then “building communism”, he says, and an education in the Soviet Bloc was a vital chance for poor students without the connections to net a French grant, for instance.

After the USSR collapsed, Russia paid no grants to foreign students for five years. A fraction of the system was restored in 1997, and today the number of foreign students in Russia from outside the ex-USSR is barely half the 1991 figure.

Some 1,000 African students from 43 states now study at RUDN, Moscow’s purpose-built university for foreign students.

Communism may have gone, but the quality of Russian education is apparently still high.

“If you are prepared to study, you can get an education here you would not get even in the West,” says Juldas.

‘Pointless to complain’

As a professor at Moscow’s Gubkin Oil and Gas University, training cadres for such giants of the ethnic dating site economy as Gazprom and Lukoil, Mr Kotchofa is very much at home in the new Russia but is bitter about some post-Soviet “liberties”.

Sadly… the stereotype of the drug dealer in the media here is the black student Juldas Okie Etoumbi

“One thing democracy brought Russia was the freedom to insult and attack people and be sure of not being punished,” he says.

He can, he adds, count on his fingers the number of criminals punished for hate crimes and “even the murders are immediately treated as cases of hooliganism”.

“Because nobody is arrested, it has become pointless to complain to the police.”

What worries him especially is that organised groups appear to be inciting the violence with impunity, with slogans like “Russia for the Russians”.

RUDN students attending faculties off the campus, which has its own police station and security guards, have found the three days around Hitler’s birthday in April particularly stressful, with neo-Nazis often turning up to taunt them with Hitler salutes and abuse.

Inna Svyatenko, chairwoman of Moscow City Council’s Security Commission, accepts that Moscow has a problem with “groups of hooligans who have in common only a taste for public disorder”, and that Africans are particularly at risk.

Better protection for foreign students is being discussed, she says, along with the idea of a new city police force to specifically protect foreigners.

Student leaders report that the worst of the racist violence is now in the provinces, but believe this is largely because of new anti-terrorism measures in the capital.

Stereotype

Ms Svyatenko attributes some of the problem to a common misconception that foreign students are taking college places away from Russians.

RUSSIA’S FOREIGN STUDENTS Total about 103,000, including 43,000 from other ex-Soviet states About 15,000 are African Some 15,000 former students are staying on illegally, including about 5,000 Africans Source: Foreign Students’ Association in Russia

Some suggest violence against foreigners may also be a sublimation of aggression towards Caucasian ethnic groups such as Chechens and Azerbaijanis, regarded as harder targets.

Moscow sociologist Nikolai Fyodorov sees a deep-rooted psychological need for an “enemy figure” dating back to the Cold War.

And he says irresponsible Russian journalism adds to the dangerous mix, with television crime reports regularly identifying the ethnic background of suspects.

A decade ago, when foreign students were struggling to survive without Russian state funding, African student drug dealers were in the spotlight.

“Back then Africans were in a desperate social situation, and when a person needs money that badly they may agree to do anything,” says Juldas.

Even today, one in 10 Africans at RUDN has to live on a daily budget of 15 roubles ($0.50, 0.30), the price of a loaf and two eggs or a single ticket on the Metro.

But speaking as a student rep, Juldas says the drug problem appears to have all but disappeared, and new students are warned about the dangers of being recruited by dealers.

“Sadly, however, the stereotype of the drug dealer in the media here is the black student,” he adds.

Explaining Africa

Some students have simply abandoned their studies and left. The Foreign Students’ Association knows of Vietnamese, South Koreans and Africans who “went home in fear of their lives”.

But some have reacted by challenging racial stereotypes through an educational programme.

With the support of Nashi, a youth movement set up by supporters of President Vladimir Putin, and funding from African embassies, 20 groups of black students have been visiting Moscow schools since September to explain about African culture.

“We give free classes on subjects like daily life in Africa, or African weddings, and the schoolchildren are very receptive,” says Juldas.

“We get letters from schools to come and see them. It is fun for us and it teaches people about our culture. This should influence the mentality of the young.”

Many believe that the existence of unique institutions like RUDN is a cause worth defending.

“For a prospective diplomat, what other university brings together 132 countries?” asks Juldas.

“We have students here from Eritrea, Ethiopia and Djibouti - countries with territorial conflicts. But when students come to RUDN, they form a single homeland. It is like a mini-United Nations. Such an experience is priceless.”

Are you a former or current foreign student studying in Russia? Did you encounter local hostility because of your nationality? If so, did you feel adequately protected by the authorities?

Your comments

I am from India and am studying medicine currently in St-Petersburg and every day is a nightmare. A Vietnamese student was killed right in front of our hostel, all that was done after it, was that some lamps were put up to light up the place and a shed was put up supposed to house cops but which is always empty. I never know if I will come back home alive and untouched. An Indian student was also killed recently. What I fail to understand is why do racists need to kill? If you don’t want to increase your horizons by interacting with other people, who incidently contribute a sizeable amount to your paycheck, why allow your chosen government to issue visas and invitations to them in the first place? It’s as if the government is importing more and more cows for slaughter. We as students pose absolutely no harm to any Russian whatsoever and if we are dark-skinned, that’s how God made us, as he made you.
Anuranjani Joshi, Saint Petersburg, Russia

Having studied in St Petersburg, Russia as from 1998 to 2003, I have learned a lot about racism, discrimination, hatred and all bad things. Russia is one of the lawlessness countries on earth. In ‘99 a group of so-called Militsia (police) came into our hostel asking for Namibian students. Some of them had guns. We were quiet a number of us but two per room on different floors. They asked for documents which I provided then started searching all over looking for narcotics according to them. It was a pay day for us when everybody received US$1000, so we had a lot of money. As I was alone in the room they confused me and made away with US$250. I reported the case to the dean of foreign students who promised to have them arrested but to no avail. It’s very bad and pathetic that we let Russians wandering freely in our countries while our people in their country are just on run. There is no protection whatsoever in Russia. I think is time they take examples from countries like UK, where I studied after Russia but life there is so smooth and people respect the law. Everybody has got equal right as long as not violating the country’s laws.
Nepaya Rex, Windhoek, Namibia

I am a Kenya who completed my bachelors programme at RUDN about 7 years ago. I am shocked that since then nothing has changed as far as racism is concerned. Back then, brutal encounters with skin heads in the subway and suburbs was the norm of the day. The common man too did nothing to defend foreigners from these vicious attacks while the police would stand by and watch but would intervene the moment the neo-Nazis were losing the fight. I applaud the efforts of the current foreign student body in sanitise the Russian youth about cultures alien to there own.
Oliver Anduru, Minnesota

I am an African that studied in the former Soviet Union between the early eighties and mid eighties. I experienced racist feelings among a sizable group of Soviets. What was different then and now is that the law had real tooth. The Soviet authorities made sure that any culprit was punished to fullest extent of the law. They also had to show the Americans that they were more humane and tolerant to their black population. Communism has been defeated and nobody takes the 100 dating free internet online of protecting the foreign guest. Black African students are unfortunate to be in Russia today, their governments have too much on their hands to protest these senseless killings. God help us!
Momoh-Fonigay Lavahun, USA

It made me very sad when I read your article because I have met very wonderful people from Russia while they were fellow students here in London. At the same time what your article reports is exactly what a cousin of mine experienced in St Petersburg and later on in Moscow before he decided that his life was worthy more than what he was getting and decided to travel back home. At the time I was of the opinion that he should stay and complete his studies. However having read and talked to a number of people, his was the best decision. It is a pity for the Russian people that this is happening. Russia has over the decades invested a lot in building a very strong bridge with the (third world) people, and rightly so. It has many friends, some of them very powerful in their respective countries and professions, thanks to knowledge attained in the Soviet Union/Russia. World powers do not only depend on military might but on friendly influence (cultural, language and academic). It is the duty of all Russians not to walk the path of Hitler and others before and after him, it has no address in this global village.
Kayongo Mutumba, London, UK

I am a British Phd student doing research in St Petersburg. I think the experience of most students here is very positive. Russians are in general very grateful to foreigners who show an interest in their language and culture. However, I am white and from the west. And I’m afraid the experience of non-white students here is very different. The stories of attacks on blacks are not exaggerated, unfortunately. And, as the article suggested, the image of non-whites in the popular Russian media is not helpful. I’ve also been appalled at the level of racism that I’ve encountered in private with many Russian friends - even highly educated Russians. In large part, I think the absence of prominent non-whites in Russian culture and media can be blamed. But the government’s apparent lack of interest in the issue of race relations is also a factor.
Derek, London, UK

I had many Palestinian and Arab friends when studying and teaching in Russia and Ukraine. Not only were there throngs of racist “hooligans” but the Police, either the Omon or the Berkut were constantly hassling them. I saw one get beaten by the cops for nothing other than having asked why they were always bothering them. I heard stories of students being thrown off roofs and from what I saw. I believe the stories. These are pretty lawless places for someone visibly foreign.
Pat, Atlanta, USA

I have not experienced mistreatment as a student but I know from the description of facts of it done mostly against African students. There is definitely and hardly any protection from the authorities, both in Russia and from their home-countries. Rarely do you hear of an African country complaining about the discrimination and persecution done to their own people aboard. So, the racist criminals take that advantage to perpetuate the hostility.
Makurei Abdul, Morocco

Why is this significant? Ever since 1945, the swastika has been banned in Germany. Even on children’s model aeroplanes. Last week a court in Stuttgart went a stage further. A man was fined more than 7,000 euros for selling anti-Nazi badges that showed a swastika with a line through it, as in a traffic sign.

He is going to appeal and the government is considering whether to amend the law. The Greens hope to provoke a debate but some Germans strongly argue that the symbol is still too uncomfortable to be seen, whatever the meaning or context.

In a few days’ time, the German navy will take over the duty of patrolling the Med off Lebanon for the UN. This German force will have a stronger mandate than any of its other nine current peacekeeping forces (including the two people in Ethiopia and 11 in Georgia). The German soldiers in Afghanistan are very definitely peacekeepers not war fighters, and the German government refused to send them chasing after al-Qaeda. But the navy will be allowed to chase and board potential arms smugglers and use their guns to stop them.

Enlarge Image

The debate was specially agonised because of where it was. While there is very little real prospect that the sailors will have to turn their guns on Israelis, the slim theoretical possibility made some argue the mission was impossible because of Germany’s history. They were in the end ignored. Of course, German planes bombed Serbia so it’s not the first or most extreme example of the modern German military in action. But these things go in fits and starts and I feel there is a new determination that Germany will pull its weight in the world.

Angela Merkel made very sure she was seen, snapped and filmed climbing down a ladder of a submarine, and watching warships go by. Although Schroeder met the troops, no-one I speak to can remember other chancellors so obviously posing for the press in a military setting. Certainly, the military are pleased that their budget has increased in real terms for the first time since the Cold War. But others I talk to hope Germany will not forget the lessons of history - not in some crass sense about its own role in the world, but in regard to the dangers of military action and jingoism, whether that of a country or a region.

German film makers are currently in Munich cutting a first: a war film with a German hero made in English for an international audience.

Baron von Richthofen: Above the mud, blood and gangrene?

The Red Baron is about the life of Manfred Von Richthofen and it’s evidently the first drama about the life of this World War I flying ace, who had 80 “kills” to his name before he himself was shot down. Perhaps those dog fights, then and now, provide a comfort blanket to those who would rather see war as glorious than sordid: they literally soared above the stinking mud and blood-drenched conflict below, echoing the quick skilful cuts of a duel rather than the drawn-out horror of gangrene and mustard gas.

But the director and producer insist that this is an anti-war film, with the theme of a hunter who relied on his keen sight but was blind to the way those in power manipulated his idol-like status.

Talking of matinee idols, Nicolas Sarkozy, perhaps worried that the British media hadn’t taken umbrage at his recent Brussels speech and articles in the French press, has jabbed his finger in Eurosceptic eyes by writing an article in the Telegraph.

Nicolas Sarkozy envisages reduced powers for nation states

He must know that his series of suggestions will make Telegraph readers splutter over their marmalade and cause some nervous tea-spilling in the Foreign Office. He proposes a single Europe-wide tax to fund the European Union, for a start. The French people may have killed off the European constitution but he wants it back in the guise of a mini-treaty.

It would create an EU foreign minister, cut nation states’ right to vote down policies, and make it easier for the EU to replace individual countries on international bodies. Mr Sarkozy repeats his opposition to Turkey joining the EU, suggesting that full membership is not appropriate for “non-European” nations. He’d turn Speed specialty dating tampa into a sort of indirect contest for the job of Commission president, with Free online dating tip, not national parties, competing for seats.

All of these ideas are diametrically opposed to what the current British government would like to see, whether led by Blair or Brown.

The faint hope of the government is that any mini-treaty will be so titchy that it won’t cause too much political fuss. Some hope. Of course, they would have little trouble getting it through parliament. But having granted a referendum on the constitution, there will be those who argue that the mini-treaty deserves the same democratic stamp of approval.

The shadow foreign secretary, William Hague, made it clear to the Conservative conference that in government he would ensure a referendum on anything that transferred competences to the European Union. In case there’s any doubt, I check with his office that this includes a Sarko-style mini-treaty. It does.

At first sight, any subject that evokes such genuine passion and also offers such an opportunity for mischief-making is just a gift for the opposition. But the government’s hope is that such a campaign would come within the scope of “banging on about Europe”, something that Mr Cameron has banned.

Your comments:

My parents and I fled from the Nazi takeover of the Sudetenland in the fall of 1938. I still recall with a sense of horror the Hakenkreuz emblazoned on buildings, flags and uniforms. I doubt, however, whether the hiding of that symbol accomplishes much. I am more concerned about the forms of fascism that seem so virulent in all our societies.
Hanns F. Skoutajan, Ottawa, Canada

As a Brit, one of the things I find most frustrating about living here in Germany is that Germans are seriously afraid of their past. From school they are brought up to believe they are the bad people of the world and must live a life of shame. Due to this indoctrination, they get very nervous when their nation comes up in an international context - especially military! The sole exception in my experience, was the recent World Cup (which was great to see). This whole thing overshadows everything they do on the world stage. As long as they insist on making innocents feel guilt for their forbears’ actions, it’ll always hold back this great country. Oh, and freedom of speech? Giving the Nazi salute here is a criminal offence as is displaying a swastika (not that I’d want to!). Ironically, this sort of thought control mimics part of the Gestapo’s mandate and has no place in a democracy.
Darran, Munich

It’s clutching at straws to ban the symbol but allow the revivalist political parties. Germans of all ages are very touchy about all this (although they never admit it). They have taken cultural amnesia to new levels and regularly innoculate themselves with Jewish museums and Jewish memorials. But it’s time to forgive and forget, since none of the subsequent genocides have been avoided by the Nazi defeat, and now we stand by and watch Darfur and Iraq both suffer. The Green Party mocks these Nazi revivalist parties and that is to be commended.
Oliver Higson, Berlin, Germany

I think a “United States of Europe” is just what is needed, but I still believe hundreds of years of fighting and disagreements between us sour our ability to get along. The British and French are still at it today. I left the UK many years ago and consider myself to be a European Citizen. The UK should stop pandering to the will of the US and join forces with its real trading partners, to create a power strong enough to force America to capitulate to the will of the international community, instead of the current way it stands. We are all aware that the UN is toothless and is used by each of the permanent members for their own ends…
Steve, Spain

The swastika is an ancient symbol that has been used for over 3,000 years. (That even predates the ancient Egyptian symbol, the Ankh!) Artifacts such as pottery and coins from ancient Troy show that the swastika was a commonly used symbol as far back as 1,000 BCE. Until the Nazis used this symbol, the swastika was used by many cultures throughout the past 3,000 years to represent life, sun, power, strength, and good luck. There is a great debate as to what the swastika means now. For 3,000 years, the swastika meant life and good luck. But because of the Nazis, it has also taken on a meaning of death and hate. These conflicting meanings are causing problems in today’s society. For Buddhists and Hindus, the swastika is a very religious symbol that is commonly used.
Abhinav Mohta, Dubai, UAE

I find it quite short-sighted of the German government to continue to associate such a sacred symbol for so many people around the world with the horrors of the Holocaust. I imagine the Nazis had its positive connotation in mind when using it as well, but it only applied to a certain “people”. I feel humour regarding that period in time would be quite healthy for Germany. So far, I only see it coming from Jewish Americans and some of the media there. It would certainly help the German youth distance themselves from that period in time, for which many of them still carry feelings of guilt as many have mentioned here. And what better way is there to display the idiotic and ridiculous nature of the Nazi philosophy then to be humorous about it, and I mean brutally?
Florian, Heidelberg, Germany

One could only watch with anxiety and dread the rearming of Japan and Germany. We should not forget the brutalities inflicted by these countries on unarmed peace-loving countries.
Francis, Port Blair, Andamans

I remember seeing lots of swastikas in a museum of Roman artifacts. Are we to ban Roman museums as well then? I think not. Best to remember the symbol and what extremism can do.
Bry Barnes, Somerset, UK

As an expat I always find it funny that so many British people will be champing at the bit to stick a boot into Germany for its xenophobic past but will in the same breath use this argument to distance themselves from ‘those jolly untrustworthy Europeans’… From some of the threads on this Euro discussion it is not only Germany that needs to reconcile its past but maybe Britain as well. Only then will the British people as a race and culture be comfortable with their place in the world and Europe.
Matt, Auckland, New Zealand

Banning symbols, flags, and paraphernalia just heightens the power of them… particularly amongst those who the rest of us were hoping might get locked up. Sure, the red flag, white centre and black cross are symbols of the Nazis but it’s the Nazis and their attitudes we don’t want back. If it’s a choice between symbols of the Nazis and Nazis give me symbols any day. The bottom line is, it’s history. Every country has some skeletons in its collective cupboards. Some are still painful in some quarters but as a people, you face up to your history, admit it, deal with it… hiding it will just cause you longer term grief.
Rod Main, Newhaven UK

To ban the use of such a symbol is empowering its meaning in the sense of Hitler’s Nazi party. By banning the symbol they are not only trying to forget what happened and therefore being ignorant, but creating a society which will forever only associate the image with evil.
Philip Longstaff, Billingham, England

Never mind swastikas on toys or posters, we have neo-Nazis in the parliament and city halls. One out of four Flemings votes for the extreme-right Vlaams Belang (ex Vlaams Blok). It’s about time Vlaams Belang-voting Flemings did some soul-searching and stopped being wilfully blind about the party they are voting into power: a party preaching racism, racial segregation and a strong police state has no place in a democratic, open society.
Tom, Kortrijk, Belgium

The Swastika was a symbol for Cape Town many years ago though the symbol was reversed.

Peter, Cape Town, South Africa

Curious this has come up when so much of the ‘western media’ is involved in a steady onslaught against the current citizens of Russia. Like Germany, there has been much anguish and discussion in Russia about the symbolism associated with tragic historical events. The Russians I know and respect are united in their determination to prevent an extreme ideology staining their regained democratic rights. As the swastika was a perversion of a 3,000-year-old symbol of good luck, so the hammer and sickle represented a system that enabled two Georgians (Stalin and Beria) to inflict massive harm on a group of nations, and murder millions of people.

Modern Germans and Austrians have bent over backwards to apologise, nearly every time they were demanded to do so over the last sixty or so years, by foreign media or foreign governments, themselves not squeaky clean by any means. And Russia has done this too. But enough is enough. How much longer do the people of Germany and Russia have to accede to demands for ‘yet another apology’ from those who have their own agenda for continuing to try and humiliate these people? The people of Germany and Russia today are the LAST people on the planet who want war again in Europe, or anywhere else. They demonstrated that when they refused to go to Iraq.
alex stone, studying in Moscow

A symbol with two meanings; we know the evil one. How do we develop and come to know its other meaning? We can see a symbol which existed for an incredible time across northern Europe and Asia; used in a similar way by cultures which knew nothing of each other. A symbol of good which crossed ethnic and cultural boundaries. A symbol which does not belong to any one group. How does humanity reclaim this symbolic message of good, which can represent a positive value shared in common by humanity? Fascinating that Nazi haters tried to claim a symbol of human spiritual goodness.
Philip, London

Not surprisingly, nobody ever mentions the fact that while about 50 million people died during the Second World War (directly and indirectly as a result of one madman’s influence), if it were not for the US… most of you would be either enslaved or dead by now, or would have never been born, because you don’t belong to the “Aryan” or “Super Race”! I was here during that period and have a very good memory of it all. I know what they were like. So, many, many thanks to the Americans. They saved Europe from the Germans and saved Asia from the Japanese evil empires.
Ed Gabor, Budapest, Hungary

If you ban the swastika it will only be used by others. As it has been used for so long banning it because a group in history used it for evil will only create the desire for it to be used by others intent on destruction. Also you are giving the sign power by banning and hiding it as if it was powerful. It gets its power by spreading fear. Locking it away just creates more fear and therefore more power for the swastika.
Callum MacNeill, Denmark & Copenhagen

Japan and Germany are invaluable to the world peace process BECAUSE they are level-headed and sensible. Germany was one of only a dozen or so voices of reason at the UN before the Iraq war began and they command respect now because they stood up.

The terrifying military might of the United States has been misused by our warmonger president since he took power and the world is a much more dangerous place because of it. In a time like this I really don’t understand why you would advocate more military action to somehow achieve peace in the end.
Also, Germany IS a world power and I cannot think of a better use for a military than directing traffic, handing out food, or helping people.

My countrymen, how many people do we need to kill before we will all be safe? You might be able to keep reading the names and looking at the faces of the US and UK boys that are on the news every night, but I would rather bring them home.

C. DiMeo-Ediger, Portland, OR, USA

I think Germany as the second most powerful country should use this power to make order in the world and don’t wash their hands saying they can’t do it because of their past. It’s important to remember the past but the Germans don’t have anything in common with the Nazis, they are all just like France or the UK, so they should help more in the world .
Constantin , Barcelona/Spain// Frankfurt Germany

I am of Basque decent (northern Spain), and we have a symbol virtually if not identical to the Swastika but on its corner.
After WWII it was rounded and given a more Celtic appearance. This symbol represents Basque people and their 4 gods (Lauburu)it is a National symbol. It goes to show what an event such as the Nazi regime can do.. alter traditions, and in some cases even mythology.
Aitor Porro, London, UK

I am currently in Germany and I find this amusing, there is a real fear about this symbol and when I showed my (German) girlfriend an animation that had the logo on she nearly had a fit. I think that this being outlawed can only bring up bad feelings and old debates. Let the past stay in the past and instead look forward!
Liam Deeney, Portland, UK

What I’m interested to know is what happens to Hindus in Germany???

The swastika, while being the symbol of evil for the past 60 years(and more recently a symbol of ridicule by the talented comedy styles of Mel Brooks and the Monty Python team), was for centuries before that, a holy symbol of Hinduism, and still is.

So what happens if a Hindu uses the swastika in its religious context in Germany? Quite a conundrum, this is.
Chiraag Tolani, Sydney, Australia

So sad to read this one. The freedom of speech as per the standards of west for Muslim world dictates that Natzis should be able to express themselves as much as Republicans in USA. If a sacred prophet of 1.3Billion people can be ridiculed and their religion attacked and mocked all under the presumed freedom of speech then why cant Natzis express themselves despite the fact that no current Natzi was ever involved in Holocaust? Getting fined for wearing a swastika is really funny. There is so much self censorship in west. Even thinking about a revision of holocaust is considered a crime akin a sin in west. So much so for freedom and democracy.
Sher Moli, Pakistan

I live in Berlin, and have long thought that the German ban on the swastika gives it an almost pagan power here that it otherwise wouldn’t have. Germans literally gasp and get chills when they see it depicted in inappropriate places abroad. I was in the German History Museum recently and seeing a large Nazi flag there in an otherwise swastika-free country gave me a strange frisson.
JacobH, Berlin, Germany

Anyone querying the antiqity or pervasiveness of ‘that’ geometric symbol might care to visit the Rmisch-Germanisches Museum in Kln.
Please note the dominant motif in the border of the large mosaic floor fragment that you encounter immediately after entering the exhibition space!
James, Stockport, UK

I would like to rembemer at Swastika as ornament was used by Coca-cola company inthe 20s and was used on all bottles of Carlsberg beer in Danmark and it was widely accepted symbol…The use as expression of swastika as the symbol of a party that promoted an utopic aryan future this period 1920-1945 made the difference!
Germans should use swastikas everywhere and in all colors and shapes and de-toxicate this symbol from 20 years period of nightmares…forbidding swastika by law, can have just one effect, it will give this symbol the power that really never had in the long term!! Politically it’s just making the neo-nazis a big favour!!
italienicus, Rome italy

As a mark of respect to all religions that had used the Swastika before Hitler, can we please stop calling the Nazi symbol by the same name. Hitler said Hakenkreuz, Germans still say Hakenkreuz, why do we ignorant anglophones have to use an Indian Sanskrit word for such a European evil?
Alex, Prague

I have many German friends, and many of those think its a joke that say for example games they play have to be modified so they don’t include german swastikas.
A lot of people in germany play WW2 Games.
It is all a bti farcical
Chris, Barnsley

We Germans are quite double-faced. No Hakenkreuz (swastika) but Nazis in the parliaments! I am more worried about the Nazis, Antisemites and their wide range of relatives rather than using any symbols.
Eric, Frankfurt am Main

I think the swastika will forever have multiple meanings and people will simply have to know the difference. Here in the states there is a well-known hate group; the Klu Klux Klan. Their symbol is the cross. They claim it is a religious symbol. No one is fooled by this.
Kathy, Dayton, Ohio, USA

Airfix German WWII models - a lot of it was very cool (Me-109, Heinkel 111, King Tiger, Bismarck, etc) - have had swastikas in the UK. What people do with real equipment is terrible, but really, did Airfix turn the UK nazi with realistic models? Pity the German kids denied realism.
Nick, Belfast

What the Swastika symbolized before Germany is one thing, but Germany’s actions in WWII forever changed the view/meaning of this symbol. To argue about the symbol’s history or use by other countries flies in the face of reality — that things have changed. Germany changed its meaning. The end.
Stanislav, Frankfurt am Main

The swastika is an ancient symbol that was used in many places, long before the Nazis adopted it in the 1930s. For example, The Finnish airforce used it on their aircraft from 1918. Of course the Nazi hijacking of the symbol meant the Finns had to change it subsequently! Presumably, it would be illegal at the moment to reproduce a photo of a 1920s Finnish airforce craft in a German publication.
Bede Dunlop, Oxford, UK

In answer to Bede Dunlop: no, that wouldn’t be illegal. Use of the swastika in a historical, academic or dramatic/theatrical context isn’t illegal. See the 2002 film “Der Untergang” (”The Downfall”) for an example of this.
Jon Bright, Sprockhvel, Germany

Re. Bede Dunlops comment: There are substantial differences between the swastikas used in Finland (even today!) and the Nazi symbol; coloring, length of arms, and mainly, the orientation. The Nazi swastika balances on a corner, the Finnish sits “square”.
J-E Nystrom, Helsinki, Finland

The Finnish emblem turned to the left. The German emblem to the right…. More confusion. In Labuan in Malaysia at least one Budhist temple has the “Finish Cross” displayed….
kent hall, labuan east Malaysia

Unless my history is out, before the Nazis used the swastika it was a symbol of strength and good luck dating back nearly 3000 years. During WWI it was used in badges worn by the American 45th division, and by the Finnish Air Force until after of WWII. It therefore seems foolish to me to brand such a historic symbol as ‘evil’ when it has been used for millenia to represent evil’s direct opposite.
Andrew Petley-Jones, Kendal, Cumbria, UK

The Nazi holocaust of 12 million (6 million of whom were Jews) certainly ranks among the most evil events in history. The Soviet Union ranks up there as well. Under Stalin alone estimates vary from 20 to 100 million killed, most averaging around 50 million. Yet the Soviet insignia is still commonly seen in Russian demonstrations and among the naive in Europe who try to rehabilitate communism. By contrast, I think Germany is a model that countries like Russia and Japan should follow. Germany has done exceptionally well in admiting guilt and sincerely asking for forgiveness and as a result, Germany should be allowed to move on.
Mark Nelson, Tallinn, Estonia

A swastika is a sacred sysmbol in Hindu culture hence its not very nice to link a holocast regime toa symbol so as in case of Soviet symbol. However such symbols become entrenched in the collective memories of the people who suffered.
Prabhu21, Chennai, India

Swastika is a religious symbol in Hindu culture, and it can be found on both sides of the entrance in many houses all around India. It is also a symbol which is put on our temples.
Also, I don’t think many of us here in India, really associate it with Nazis. On the contrary many feels why they used a symbol which is ours.

Vikas Saxena, Pune, India

Having grown up in India the “Swastik” was one of the most common emblems in India. It is used commonly in a religious context. The swastika originates from a sanskrit word “Swastik” meaning “Good Existence”. Its a pure and revered symbol which has come to be associated with the most evil of ideology. Shame.
Abhinav, Camberley

The Swastika, as others have mentioned has been around for 3000 years and has been a symbol of positive nature. The Swastika is still used in Buddhism and many statues and books have them. It is also a font for Chinese, Japanese and Korean computer users. The Nazi Swastika turns anti-clockwise and it has been more than 50 years since WWII. If the Germans are sorry, I say we can accept the use of the Swastika as a fact and academic value, but not allow Swastikas to be abused by Neo-Nazis and other far-right groups. Civilised and informed people do not need such bans, we know and understand what is and is not acceptable.
CS Zeng, Tunbridge Wells, UK

Swastika is considered an auspicious symbol in Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism. Swastika is taken as a symbol of goodluck and fortune and is ritually made on every new possession whether a car or a house and even on account books. Not only that, a saffron swastika is made on the head of a newborn in the naming ceremony. Its presence in their places of worship is so important.
Considering its religious significance and its presence dating back to more than 3000 years in the Indian cultue , how inappropriate and how insensitive it is on part of the government in any country to formally acknowledge the Swastika as a hallmark of evil.
Sona, Bangalore, India

When I first visited Iceland in 1978, the swastika was used as a symbol, in blue, not black, by the shipping company Heimskip. I was shocked. They dropped it later.
Joop, Ouderkerk, The Netherlands

As a foreigner in Germany it amazes me how German society seems to try to avoid their past rather than confront it head on. The current generation cannot be blamed for what happened 60-70 years ago but it still seems that many of this new generation are forced to carry a urden of guilt. The banning of symbols does not and will not hinder the extreme right groups but it does hinder the ordinary German because the with ban comes the guilt free online adult dating for something that they had nothing to do with. I think the law is the wrong way round. Ban the rights extremists and allow symbolism (especially if it is anti-nazi).
Karl Lynch, Hamburg, Germany

I see it’s ok for the Green party to use the swastika but as soon as someone else uses it in a similar fashion he’s fined 7000 euro. That says it all really….
Andy, Stuttgart, Germany

A symbol like the swastica represents racial hatred and Nazism, that is what people relate it to when they see it.

Any academic argument portraying it’s past meanings are irrelavent and it is what it is today a symbol of hate.
Mark Israel, London UK

The swastika is still a sacred symbol in East and South Asia, not just historically - go into any temple in China and you’re likely to find one somewhere. In South Korea the swastika is used as the standard symbol on maps for a temple, like the cross or crescent are used in Europe for churches and mosques. While I understand people in Germany, Poland or Russia being sensitive about it, they’ll have to get used to the fact that it wasn’t Europe’s to start with.
Brian, Dublin, Ireland

As an American, I’m troubled to see the American flag slowly being elevated in the same, ritualistic manner as the German hakenkreuz to the position of a sacred icon. In fact, it was Nazi oppression of Jehovah’s Witnesses in the 1930s that set off our modern flag debate in the United States. (Gobitis vs. Minersville School Board)

It’s compelling to see a forum in which a discussion of the swastika appears alongside a discussion of pan-Europeanism. The greatest hindrance for a dynamic European Union are the unresolved and oft ignored roots of 20th Century European conflict, namely the elevation of national identity as a religious construct. The swastika constituted the highest icon of the 3rd Reich, which is oft called “scientific” and “rational” by modern theorists who want to avoid the uncomfortable truth that Nazism was a faith-based religion, complete with a chosen people, a Promised Land, an ethnic pact with a higher power and a Teutonic saviour-figure.

That is, I think, the real lesson of the swastika-debate. And we ignore it, the resurgence of the European right and the modern American experiment to mix nationalism and religion, at our own peril.
Atticus Mullikin, Maastricht, The Netherlands

As a British soldier I served alongside German troops during the Cold War. Most of those I met were friendly, professional and most of all trustworthy. The German people I know today are kind, generous and intelligent. Whilst we must never forget the lessons learnt from the past we must not compare modern Germany with the old. The ultimate question is whether the Germans trust themselves? I know I trust them.
Jim, Glasgow, UK

I think it’s about time we put the past in the past. Germany (and Japan), need to start pulling there weight by using their economic power (and money) by making the world a safer place. Even if its with their military might. Germany could be a real world power and needs to stop worrying about what people will think if they use there military for something other than directing traffic and handing out food for the UN.
William Gallant, Marlborough, Ma. USA

To William Gallant, Marlborough, Ma. USA:

Excellent logic; Germany and Japan should use their military to make the world a safer place.

America might have a different take if they ever saw the tragedies of war on their homeland.
Miranda, London

With the current rate of unemployment and the uprising of NPD and other right-wing parties in Germany, it is imperative that the Green party and others make their voices heard.
Marjan, London

‘German and Japan need to start pulling their weight to make the world a safer place.’ Would this be on their terms, or the terms of the US?

The interests of the US are not the interests of the world. The German aversion to using military force and being associated with symbols of their military past is an intensely emotional issue, and to reduce that to the need to police the world is naive US-centrism.

The Germans have been commendable in their facing up to past crimes, and the illegality of the swastika was part of that process. The fact the point is up for debate shows the strides they, and we, have made.
Darren, Liverpool

In reply to William Gallant’s comment; Germany IS a ‘real world power’ (as is Japan). The economic might of both those countries ensures their place in the list of ‘world powers’. Why should they use ‘their military might’ except in circumstances that they believe such action is appropriate? Surely a ‘world power’ is a country that has influence and can devise their policy on a topic, without following another country’s lead, such as Germany’s strong opposition to the invasion of Iraq. Or does Mr. Gallant believe that they would only be a true world power if they didn’t think for themselves and blithely followed the American policy for the ‘War on Terror’?
Shane, Dublin, Eire

“The debate was specially agonised because of where it was. While there is very little real prospect that the sailors will have to turn their guns on Israelis, the slim theoretical possibility made some argue the mission was impossible because of Germany’s history.” this concept is the real plight of the Arabs. while we know that israel has already killed deliberatly over the last 30 years more than 150 UNIFIL soldiers, all the media is focussing on how not to upset Israel and how to avoid ‘dangerous’ arabs… Israelis know that the West feels guilty…
rachelle aractingi, Beirut Lebanon

In response to Rachelle Aractingi: you’re probably right that “Israelis know the West feels guilty”, but possibly the Germans also know that Israel has been surrounded by nations that, 58 years after its foundation, still wish to destroy it. This doesn’t excuse the killing of those UNIFIL troops, but were it not for Hizbollah, et al, they wouldn’t have to be there at all.
Simon Jackson, Barnet, Hertfordshire, UK

What drivel to suggest that Israelis “deliberately” kill UNIFIL soldiers when the opposite is so patently true. But how typical of the Israel-haters to completely miss the point of these articles and turn it into yet another anti-Israel rant - “Israel delendum est” at the end of every statement. Why do we have to listen to this irrelevant nonsense, and why do the BBC bother to publish it?
Joel, London, UK

What the “EU Foreign Minister” affair is all about is to get a permanent seat on the UN Security Council, replacing Britain & France. Madness; instead of 2 votes, they’d only get one.

I for one want Britain to continue to have an independent voice, not be spoken for by some EU appointee who is not accountable to the British electorate.
Mark, Durham, UK

In response to what Mark said, I would strongly contest that the EU Foreign Minister has anything to do with an EU bid for a UN Security Council permanent seat. Any move away from British and French seats would have to be agreed by those countries, and there is certainly no real discussion of that in either France or the UK. The role of EU Foriegn Minister is not so different from what we currently have in Javier Solana, who is High Representative of the Common Foreign and Security Policy. The only different is that the EU Foreign Minister would have a seat on the Commission. The EU Foreign Minister would be the spokesperson for the CFSP, not the designer of it. The EU’s foreign policy would continue to be made as it is today - by unanimity.
Phil McComish, Bruges, Belgium

Does Mark think that Britain would continue to have a permanent Security Council seat if it were not an EU member?
G, Newcastle, UK

It is now quite evident that the EU is determined to set up a european state. As such, the UK must now consider its future. Our government has been elected to do just that, not to delegate the governance of the UK to another authority. I, for one, would like to see the UK sever ties with the EU -we CAN go it alone!
John Douglas, Denny, Scotland

This article is very typical for British media. Whenever Germany pops up all they think about is the second world war. One could think that in a European diary other things would pop up. It is not that Germans define themselves entirely through WWII. It is more the rest of the world which does that.
Val, London