Germany Today?

Leigh's post about skinheads and Neo-Nazis brought to mind for me the backlash in Germany against all things Nazi and Hitler related. Nazi symbols, such as the swastika, are banned entirely, and Mein Kampf is not allowed to be published in Germany, though it is legal to own a copy. Holocaust denial is similarly a crime. It's a strange juxtaposition: we know that Holocaust denial is an entirely unethical (and irrational) stance to take, but what about free speech? Perhaps because Germany has a direct connection to a Nazi past, they felt they must overcompensate to gain the respect of Europe once more, or because they were afraid of slipping back into an older mentality. The symbolism of Germany banning such potent objects from their past seems more significant than if, say, the U.S. passed anti-Nazi laws as well. Things are a little more gray when you come to far-right-wing parties, however, that are associated with Neo-Nazism. I'm not sure which radical party ban Leigh was referring to, but according to this BBC article, the National Democratic Party won 9% of the vote and thus seats in a German state assembly. Representation is still regulated by election, no matter how radical.