Thor Steinar
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Thor Steinar is a German fashion label registered as a trademark by Axel Kopelke in October 2002. The label's logo consisted of a combination of a TyƦ and a Sol rune (also resulting in a "Wolfsangel" shape). The label was popular among young Neo-Nazis, and it was possibly based on the very similar logo of the Kassel based Neo-Nazi "think tank" Thule Seminar. It has been outlawed by a Brandenburg court as containing fascist symbols prohibited by the German constitution on 17 November 2004.
Not only has the sale of clothing bearing the logo been outlawed, one woman was also fined 300 Euro for wearing a Thor Steinar sweater in public. The ruling created some controversy, because the logo, while undisputedly popular among right-wing extremists, also had a significant number of unpolitical buyers who were unaware of any fascist connection. It is also remarkable that there is now a precedent of a German court as it were outlawing individual Futhark letters (as opposed to historical Nazi emblems that contain runes, such as the SS-badge, which have been unconstitutional in Germany since 1949 (see Denazification)). Critics of the ruling have also argued that it unnecessarily creates sympathy with Neo-Nazi groups among unpolitical buyers who feel treated unfairly.
The ruling was reversed by a higher court on 12 September, 2005. During 2005, a total 257 individual cases were filed based on the 2004 ruling, all of which became obsolete with the second ruling.
In a new development, early in 2006 a Berlin court sentenced a man for wearing the old Thor Steinar logo. The following passages are taken from two articles in the "Berliner Zeitung" daily of March 2, 2006 (translation by the author of this edit):
"A 24-year old man from Berlin's Marzahn district was given a suspended 7-month jail sentence and 150 hours of community work for wearing the former logo of the Thor Steiner clothes label, which is popular among right-wing extremists ... In the opinion of the court, the runes logo bore a strong similarity to symbols of unconstitutional organisations ...
"Ironically, less than four months earlier another judge of the same court acquitted a young man of exactly the same charge.
"'It's about recognisability of the logo' ... One judge feels it is unlikely a normal observer could mistake the old Thor Steinar logo for a Nazi symbol. However, the judge in this latest case found the old logo to be extremely similar to Nazi symbols and therefore unconstitutional.
"The Interior Ministry (of the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern) pointed out yesterday that buying this kind of clothes might indirectly contribute to financing right-wing extremists. According to leftist sources, a known right-wing extremist is said to have had a role in founding the company that distributes the label. (The company) Mediatex rejected accusations of this kind. 'Our company adheres to the democratic basic law,' said managing director Uwe Meusel."
[edit] External links
- Official homepage
- Report on the first court ruling (German language link)
- Report on the first court ruling (German language link)
