The German "Index"

Well it just belongs here. http://www.dumblaws.com/ubb/biggrin.gif
Introduction:
In Germany certain book, videos, computer games and so on are "indexed". This means they may not be advertised and sold to minors. The "no advertisement" includes that the "indexed" items may not be shown in a store and no reviws may appear in magazines. This makes sense for certains think like hard pornographie but sometimes gets really odd.
The relaly dumpest thing was banning an issue of Sailor Moon - comic book.
(small pause for everyone to laugh)
Other thing "indexed": ID Games (all of them), Duke3D, Sin and a lot of other FPS and similar games. Most games get censored because of this. Also every movie not by a rating board falls under the some laws as an "indexed" one.
BTW It is illegal to own a copy of "Castle Wolfenstein" in Germany, not because of violence. It was banned because of the Nazi symbol.

[paulgro]

Some of that makes sense, but most of that is strange...

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"I have not failed. I've just found
10,000 ways that won't work."

Ferrets Place (http://www.alferret.co.uk/ubbcgi/ultimatebb.cgi)

[Ada_Doom]

Nice theory, but like most theories, flawed in practice!

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An organisation is like a tree full of monkeys, all on different branches at different levels, some climbing up, some falling down. The monkeys on top look down and see a tree full of smiling faces.The monkeys on the bottom look up and see nothing but !%!%!%!%!%!%!%!%s.

The interesting thing is that a game where you fight against the Nazis is illegal.
Also, if one of the nationalistic parties like REP, DVU or NPD makes a demonstration and someone else makes a counter-demonstration the police will protect the nationalistic ones (and the other ones will be arrested).
Hmm... Interesting...

BTW: Did you know that it is illegal to grow, buy or otherwise acquire weed, but you are allowed to own it (at least if you only own a small amount - 11.5 grams where I live)?

[This message has been edited by Jesus_666 (edited October 10, 2001).]

[ogb]

Originally posted by Jesus_666:
[B]Also, if one of the nationalistic parties like REP, DVU or NPD makes a demonstration and someone else makes a counter-demonstration the police will protect the nationalistic ones (and the other ones will be arrested).
Hmm... Interesting...


It is not true the way you put it. The police is protecting the participants of the demonstration as part of the constitutional right to assemble and express your opinion. If the right wing parties registered for the demonstration it is them who have to be protected. Btw: usually it are the left wing parties who cause the trouble when the right wing is demonstrating - very foolish according to my mind, because only by the violence they are getting the attraction they otherwise wouldn't have.

Originally posted by Jesus_666:
The interesting thing is that a game where you fight against the Nazis is illegal.
Also, if one of the nationalistic parties like REP, DVU or NPD makes a demonstration and someone else makes a counter-demonstration the police will protect the nationalistic ones (and the other ones will be arrested).
Hmm... Interesting...

BTW: Did you know that it is illegal to grow, buy or otherwise acquire weed, but you are allowed to own it (at least if you only own a small amount - 11.5 grams where I live)?

[This message has been edited by Jesus_666 (edited October 10, 2001).]

Well, the thing is not that you fight nazis. The nazi-symbol itself is banned in germany.

It's true that some partys like the DVU or REP are allowed to make demonstrations here. I really don't like this law. But I think it is OK, because the german past has told us all never to prohibit an oppinion. These freaks have not many friends, and I prefer living in a free country to living in a country where nazis exist also, but poeple are lawed to death.
A democary needs public discussions. And some nazi-idiots make it simple to tell others what I hate.

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The truth is out there!

[ogb]

Welcome El Presidente! I agree that it is not nice to see the ultra rights demonstrate, but you have to consider the background. The demonstration in Berlin just saw a couple of hundred neonazis - and as always they were carried with busses from whole Germany. A look at the stats tells that violent right motivated criminal actions are a vasting minority compared with left motivated criminal actions.
However, maybe the NPD will be disallowed in the near future by the Constitutional Court and then they'll have problems to organize such assemblies.

What I think is a bit hypocritical in Germany is the fact that there is such pride in the protections of the Grundgesetz (constitution equivalent) including freedom of speech, yet certain political parties (albeit radical right-wing) are banned for existing due to non-compliance with current ideals. Don't get me wrong, I don't agree with extreme right ideals, but if people do, surely a democratic society requires their opinion to be protected too?

[ogb]

Basically you are right. That's what I always say: if you allow left wing parties, then right wing parties also have to be allowed. But you just are talking about the NPD, which is currently checked by the constitutional court. The Grundgesetz declares in Art 21 that parties can be founded, they have to be democratic and they have to explain their finances. Parties that aim to endanger the democratic freedom are unconstitutional. Everything else is not in the Grundgesetz, but in special party laws. The NPD is not examined because of their opinions, but they are suspected to have taken part or even having committed in crimes with neonazi background. That's why the other parties want to disallow the NPD. They brought material to the constitutional court and they now have to decide whether the party is democratic or not. If they are involved in criminal actions, then of course they have to be forbidden.