Germany has announced that people will be prosecuted if they use or display the letter Z due to associations with the war in Ukraine. Politico. The letter Z has been painted on Russian military vehicles involved in the invasion of Ukraine, likely to differentiate between Russian and Ukrainian vehicles. The letter has now became a symbol of support for the Russians. Germany has said that they will prosecute people under a law that forbids people from celebrating "illegal" acts. Violators could spend up to three years in prison. Critics say that the law is unenforceable and legally questionable.
My Comment:
Germany has gone totally insane. You can't ban a letter of the alphabet. Are they going to arrest school children that are learning English? A teacher who has the alphabet in her class room? Are they going to ban the movie Z? It's utterly insane.
But even worse they are banning all dissent against the state. Many people, myself included, do not support NATO's actions in regards to Ukraine. Indeed, though I don't support Russia I do like them more than NATO and Ukraine as the lesser of three evils. I don't think I would wear a Z t-shirt or anything but if I was in Germany would I be sent to prison because I wished for a quick end to the war or pointed out a quick Russian victory would probably the best thing for everyone? Under Germany's restrictive laws I might.
I also think that Germany is discriminating against people of Russian descent. Many Russians outside of Russia do not support the war but many do and they deserve to support their country of origin. I wouldn't support banning Ukrainians from supporting their side of the war, why would you do it to Russians?
It also makes me wonder why Germany isn't going to ban people from supporting the Ukrainian military. After all they have the Azov Battalion, a group of actual Nazis. That's not a euphemism or slander, they have been filmed flying the swastikas' and other Nazi symbols. And what about all the normal Ukrainian fighters wearing things like the black sun symbol? Supporting the Ukrainian military seems like it would fall under the draconian anti-Nazi laws in Germany.
And it's important to note that the Z symbol isn't just a symbol of Russia, it's a symbol of the Russian military. Given that many Russian soldiers are conscripts and had little to no choice about going to war I don't think it is wrong to support them.
Honestly, I don't think it's wrong to support any side in this conflict. People should be free to make up their own choices. And it's not like Russia and NATO are at war, at least not officially. If that is the case then it makes no sense to censor people's opinions. People should be able to support Ukraine, Russia, both or neither.
But I think that this is just dangerous. Banning dissent when it comes to war is dangerous. Without being able to criticize the government you are nipping peace movements in the bud. You are also preventing people from pressuring their government into changing course. Given that tensions are extremely high right now, wouldn't be nice if there was pressure into not starting a war with Russia?
Most importantly though? Who the hell does the Germany government think they are? Who are they to tell people what to think and who to support? Do they even understand the concept of free speech anymore? Where does it end?
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