EU agrees on new racism rules.

[Gustaf]

Well, it's really a sad state of affairs when you have a bunch of stuffy bureaucrats making laws, especially when they don't have to be accountable to the people. 

One thing that really baffles me is that you may not purchase "Mein Kampf" in many European countries and "Triumph of the Will" is banned as well.  I could go down to Barnes and Noble tomorrow and buy Mein Kampf right from the shelf.

You cannot make up for past atrocities by banning books and adverse opinions (however false and stupid they may be).

It is often noted that while Mein Kampf is banned in Germany now it could be bought in England during WWII. Of course, it's a best selling book in Turkey and most of the Middle East right now.

I think it's legal in Sweden, anyway - I know people who own it (non-Nazis).

[Gustaf]

Well, it's really a sad state of affairs when you have a bunch of stuffy bureaucrats making laws, especially when they don't have to be accountable to the people. 

One thing that really baffles me is that you may not purchase "Mein Kampf" in many European countries and "Triumph of the Will" is banned as well.  I could go down to Barnes and Noble tomorrow and buy Mein Kampf right from the shelf.

You cannot make up for past atrocities by banning books and adverse opinions (however false and stupid they may be).

It is often noted that while Mein Kampf is banned in Germany now it could be bought in England during WWII. Of course, it's a best selling book in Turkey and most of the Middle East right now.

I think it's legal in Sweden, anyway - I know people who own it (non-Nazis).

It's a common misconception that Mein Kampf is "banned" in Germany. There's no official ban, it's more of a copyright issue.

Until his death in 1945 the copyright for Mein Kampf belonged to Adolf Hitler. Hitler's official place of residence was Munich. So, when he died and the Third Reich came to an end, the copyright for Mein Kampf first went to the Allied administration of occupied Germany. The Allies then handed the copyright over to the state of Bavaria.

Since then it has been the policy of the government of Bavaria that it doesn't allow to reprint Mein Kampf, except for commented/"censored" issues intended for scientific or educational use. It is totally legal to own, buy and sell Mein Kampf, provided these issues were published before 1945. However, if you're printing or publishing Mein Kampf the government of Bavaria will sue you. The copyright for Mein kampf will end on December 31, 2015 (70 years after the death of the author).

I didn't know that...I thought since that guy was convicted of his dog doing Heil Hitler, Germany had gone all the way, so to speak. But I've learned something new then.