A West German Federal Justice Minister has reversed the long-standing policy of the ruling Social Democratic Party (SPD) to ban propaganda material that was rife under the Nazi regime, including Hitler’s book “Mein Kampf,” Goebbels’ anti-Jewish speeches and the notorious anti-Semitic newspaper “Der Stuermer.”
At the same time, Justice Minister Juergen Schmude said his ministry is preparing to ban recently published Nazi propaganda material, including those imported from abroad. He said he is also preparing a bill that would make it possible for state prosecutors to charge persons who either deny or justify the organized murder of Jews and other groups under the Nazi regime.
Schmude said his reason for reversing the SDP policy was threefold: the amount of original Nazi propaganda material being circulated is relatively limited; the trade in this material is mainly among collectors rather than politically-oriented groups; the ban would create problems in the area of scientific research into the Nazi era.
The Minister’s announcement in an interview with the leftwing daily Frankfurter Rundschau surprised prominent members of his own party, especially since he, himself, recently reaffirmed his support of the ban on original Nazi material. Observers here said that Schmude reversed the policy as a result of pressure by rightwing elements.
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