The use of symbols of the Nazi Party and Nazi Germany (1933–1945) is currently subject to legal restrictions in a number of countries, such as Austria, Brazil, the Czech Republic, France, Germany,[1] Hungary, Israel, Poland, Romania, Russia, Ukraine and other countries.[2]
While legal in most countries,[3] [4] the display of flags associated with the Nazi government (see: Nazi flags) is subject to restriction or an outright ban in several European countries.
Many Nazi flags make use of the swastika symbol;[5] however, the swastika is not always used in connection with the Nazi Party movement or of the German Third Reich or the combined German military of 1933–1945. Outside of Nazism, use of swastikas pre-dates the German Third Reich by some 3,000 years.[6] [7]
| Country | Public display of Nazi flags is legal | Exceptions | |
|---|---|---|---|
 Australia | No[8] | Academic, educational, or artistic use.[9] | |
 Austria | No[10] | ||
 Belarus | No | ||
 Belgium | No[11] | ||
 Brazil | No | ||
 Canada | Yes | ||
 China | No | ||
 Czech Republic | No | ||
 Estonia | No | ||
 Finland | Yes | Implicit limitations likely exist. Keeping Nazi symbolism visible under certain circumstances could situationally constitute agitation against a population group.[12] [13] | |
 France | No | ||
 Germany | No | Artistic and educational contexts[14] | |
 Hungary | No | ||
| Iran | Yes | ||
 Israel | No[15] | ||
 Italy | Yes[16] | ||
 Japan | Yes | ||
 Latvia | No | ||
 Lithuania | No | Artistic and educational purposes | |
 Luxembourg | No[17] | ||
 New Zealand | Yes[18] | ||
 Poland | No | Artistic, educational, collecting or academic activity.[19] | |
 Portugal | Yes[20] | ||
 Romania | No[21] | ||
| Russia | No | ||
 Singapore | No | ||
 Serbia | No | ||
 Slovakia | No | ||
| South Korea | Yes | ||
 Spain | Yes | When associated with criminal conduct. | |
 Switzerland | No | ||
| Taiwan | Yes | ||
 Thailand | Yes | ||
 Ukraine | No | Artistic, education, scientific and historical purposes. Symbols used until 1991 | |
 United Kingdom | Yes | ||
 United States | Yes |
After the 1979 Iranian Revolution, Holocaust denial and Nazi symbols are legal in Iran, although it dates to the 1940s during the Pahlavi era.[22] [23]
The use of Nazi symbols has been illegal in Israel, in fact in Mandatory Palestine since early 1945.[24]
Until 2018, displaying Nazi symbol was treated as a kind of minor offence when it amounted to harassment, so those displaying Nazi symbols were usually punished by a small fine or less than 20 days detention under the Public Security Administration Punishment Law.[25] [26] [27]
In April 2018, the 2nd Session of the Standing Committee of the 13th National People's Congress adopted a law called "" on 27 April 2018, which came into force on 1 May the same year. Those who display Nazi or other fascist symbols such as the Rising Sun Flag will face heavy fines as well as imprisonment.[28] [29] [30]
The use of Nazi symbols is not a crime in Japan.
According to the Malaysian law, the display of Nazi symbols is a crime.
In Saudi Arabia, the display of Nazi symbols is illegal.
There are no specific laws banning the use of Nazi symbols, and up to date no one has been punished for displaying Nazi-related symbols in Singapore; but anyone promoting "feelings of ill-will and hostility between different races or classes of the population of Singapore" under laws of sedition may be arrested. [31]
The Republic of Korea has no provisions or laws regarding the use of Nazi imagery.[32]
There are currently no provisions and laws in Taiwan that ban or regulate the use of Nazi symbols and imagery as long as it lies within the legal bounds of freedom of speech under the constitution.[33]
The use of Nazi symbols is legal in Thailand.[34] [35]
Canada has no legislation specifically restricting the ownership, display, purchase, import or export of Nazi flags. However, sections 318–320 of the Criminal Code,[36] adopted by Canada's parliament in 1970 and based in large part on the 1965 Cohen Committee recommendations,[37] make it an offence to advocate or promote genocide, to communicate a statement in public inciting hatred against an identifiable group where it is likely to cause a breach of the public peace, or to communicate a statement which wilfully promotes hatred (other than in private conversation) against an identifiable group; and provides a framework for the judicially-authorized seizure, forfeiture and disposal of hate propaganda.[37]
The First Amendment to the United States Constitution guarantees freedom of speech, which the courts have interpreted very broadly to include hate speech, severely limiting the government's authority to suppress it.[38] This allows political organizations great latitude in expressing Nazi, racist, and antisemitic views. A landmark First Amendment case was National Socialist Party of America v. Village of Skokie, in which neo-Nazis threatened to march in a predominantly Jewish suburb of Chicago. The march never took place in Skokie, but the court ruling allowed the neo-Nazis to stage a series of demonstrations in Chicago.[39]
The use of Nazi symbols is illegal in Brazil. Laws No. 7,716/89 and No. 9,459/97 establish imprisonment and a fine for anyone who produces, markets, distributes or disseminates symbols, emblems, ornaments, badges or propaganda that use the swastika to advocate Nazism.[40]
Austria strictly prohibits the public display and/or proliferation of all insignia/symbols, emblems, uniforms (full or partial), flags, etc., clearly associated with the National Socialist German Workers' Party (NSDAP, commonly known as the Nazi Party). There are legal exceptions for works of art (including books, films, theatre performances, computer games, and educational/memorial public exhibitions, etc.), these however do not apply if the respective work promotes National Socialism (as this is generally prohibited in Austria). The law has been amended to include commonly recognised replacements or slightly modified depictions of Nazi symbols.Violations of the Badges Act 1960 (Abzeichengesetz 1960), which prohibits the public display of Nazi symbols, result in up to €4000-fine and up to one month of imprisonment as punishment. However, if the violation is deemed an attempt to promote National Socialism, the Prohibition Act 1947 (Verbotsgesetz 1947) is applied, resulting in up to ten years of imprisonment.
However, trading medals, uniforms or other memorabilia is not illegal in Austria.
Other fascist insignia banned in Austria include Ustaše symbols that have been prominent on commemorations of Bleiburg repatriations. Banned are the Ustaše logo (U with a grenade), the Independent State of Croatia coat of arms and flag, the Croatian Defence Forces logo, as well as the Ustaše slogan Za dom spremni.[41] [42]
Article 3411 of the Criminal Code prohibits the public display, production, distribution, or storage for the purpose of distribution, of Nazi symbolism or paraphernalia. The offence for this is listed to result in a fine, arrest, up to three years of restraint of liberty or up to four years of imprisonment as punishment. Article 1301 of the Criminal Code prohibits the rehabilitation of Nazism. The offence for this is listed to result in a fine, arrest, up to five years of restraint of liberty or up to five years of imprisonment.[43]
Czech Republic has no legislation restricting ownership, display, purchase, import or export of Nazi flags; indeed Czech legislation makes even the banning of protests involving such flags very difficult.[44]
In 1991, in Czechoslovakia, the criminal code was amended with 260 which banned propaganda of movements which restricted human rights and freedoms, citing Nazism and Communism. Later the specific mentions of these were removed citing their lack of clear legal definition. However, the law itself was recognised as constitutional.[45]
The police may cancel such events only once it becomes clear that protesters are inciting hate, which is deemed illegal in the Czech Republic. Legal regulation of hate crimes in the Czech Republic is contained in Act 140/1961 The Criminal Act[46] (amended by Act 175/1990).
Act 40/2009 have prohibited promotion of movements aimed at suppressing human rights and freedoms.[47]
Cyprus has no legislation designed to restrict the ownership, display, purchase, import or export of Nazi flags, nor does the Criminal Code of Cyprus expressly allow for racist or other bias motives to be taken into account when sentencing.[48]
However, use of Nazi flags in a manner likely to cause discrimination, hatred, or violence may be dealt with under Cyprus' ratification of the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination. This allows for the prosecution of anyone who expresses an idea (in public, using almost any medium including flags) which insults another person's race, religion or ethnicity.
In early 2007, the Riigikogu was proceeding a draft bill amending the Penal Code to make the public use of Soviet and Nazi symbols punishable if used in a manner disturbing the public peace or inciting hatred.[49] The bill did not come into effect as it passed only the first reading in the Riigikogu.[50]
Finland has no explicit legislation aimed at controlling ownership, display, purchase, import or export of Nazi symbols. However the Criminal Code (39/1889 contains sections that could situationally limit the usage of Nazi symbolism (e.g. Chapter 11 'War crimes and offences against humanity' section 10 (agitation against a population group) and 10 a (aggravated agitation against a population group)).[51] The Criminal Code's Agitation against a population group sections may be applicable when Nazi symbolism is used to threaten, defame, or insult a certain group "on the basis of its race, colour, birth, national or ethnic origin, religion or belief, sexual orientation or disability or on another comparable basis". It remains ambiguous whether keeping Nazi symbolism visible under certain circumstances constitutes agitation against a population group.
Finnish usage of the swastika predates Nazi Germany's usage of the Nazi swastika.[52] As of 2024, flags containing the symbol can be found within the Finnish military. Particularly the Finnish Air Force.[53] [54]
In France, it is a crime to display Nazi flags, uniforms and insignia in public, unless for the purpose of a historical film, show, filmmaking or spectacle.[55]
In April 2000, the International League against Racism and Anti-Semitism and Union des étudiants juifs de France (the Union of French Jewish Students) brought a case against Yahoo! which objected to the auctioning of Nazi memorabilia, in France, via Yahoo!'s website on the basis that it contravened Article R645-1.[56] A French judge did initially order Yahoo! to take measures to make it impossible for users in France to reach any Nazi memorabilia through the Yahoo! site.[57]
After World War Two, the penal code of the Federal Republic of Germany was amended to prohibit propaganda material and symbols of forbidden parties and other organisations (StGB 86 and 86a). This explicitly includes material in the tradition of a former national socialist organization. The production and distribution of such material is prohibited, as is the public display of the related symbols. Legal consequences can be a fine or a prison term of up to fifteen years.
Examples are Nazi symbols, such as the swastika and the SS logo. It is legal to use the symbols for educational and artistic purposes, such as in films and videogames.[58]
Section 335 of the Act C of 2012 on the Criminal Code of Hungary regulates the "use of symbols of totalitarianism", including the swastika, the insignia of the SS, the Nyilaskereszt, the hammer and sickle, and the five-pointed red star.[59]
In Italy, it is a crime to display Nazi symbols.
In June 2013, the Latvian parliament approved a ban on the display of Nazi and Soviet symbols at all public events. The ban involves flags, anthems, uniforms, and the Nazi swastika.[60] [61]
Lithuania banned Nazi symbols in 2008 (Article 18818 of the Code of Administrative Offences) under the threat of a fine.[62] Article 5 of the Law on Meetings prohibits meetings involving Nazi and Soviet imagery.[63]
In the Netherlands, there is a law that bans the use of Nazi symbols.
In 2009, § 2 to 4 were added to Article 256 of the Polish Penal Code banning the "production, recording, importing, acquiring, storing, possessing, presenting or transporting" for the purpose of dissemination of "prints, recordings or other objects" that "publicly promote a fascist or other totalitarian system of state", unless done "as part of artistic, educational, collecting or academic activity", and provides for forfeiture regardless of owner upon conviction.[64]
Russian administrative code prohibits propaganda, production and dissemination of Nazi symbols, lookalikes, and the Rising Sun Flag with fines up to 100,000 rubles.[65]
In 2009, Serbia passed a law prohibiting "manifestations of Neo-nazi or Fascist organizations and associations, and use of the Neo-nazi or Fascist symbols and insignia".[66]
In Spain, there is no law prohibiting the display of Nazi symbology except when associated with criminal conduct.[67] A proposed ban is still awaiting consideration.[68]
On 9 February 2022, the Federal Council of Switzerland rejected a ban on Nazi symbols and salutes.[69]
The public display of Nazi and communist flags is illegal in Ukraine. Exceptions are symbols used for artistic, educational, scientific and historical purposes, symbols that were used until 1991.[70] [71]
According to the British law, the use of Nazi symbols is not a crime,[72] but it was from 1939 until 1945.
The public display of Nazi flags is illegal nationwide, as well as in the states of New South Wales,[73] Queensland,[74] Tasmania,[75] Victoria[76] (also banned the Nazi salute)[77] and Western Australia.[78] Laws have also been proposed in the remaining states and territories. In June 2023, the Albanese government introduced legislation to criminalize the sale and public display of Nazi symbols and the public performance of the Nazi salute. It was introduced under the bill "Counter-Terrorism Legislation Amendment (Prohibited Hate Symbols and Other Measures)". The law went into effect on 8 January 2024, and violations are punishable by up to 12 months in prison.[79]