Bans on Nazi symbols

After the 1979 Iranian Revolution, Holocaust denial, and Nazi symbols are legal in Iran, although it dates to the 1940s during the Pahlavi era.[31][32]

The use of Nazi symbols has been illegal in Israel since early 2012.[33]

Until 2018, displaying Nazi symbol was treated as a kind of minor offence when it amounted to harassment, so those displaying Nazi symbols were usually punished by a small fine or less than 20 days detention under the Public Security Administration Punishment Law.[34][35][36]

In April 2018, the 2nd Session of the Standing Committee of the 13th National People's Congress adopted a law called "Law of the People's Republic of China on the Protection of Heroes and Martyrs" on 27 April 2018, which came into force on 1 May the same year. Those who display Nazi or other fascist symbols will face heavy fines as well as imprisonment.[37][38][39]

The use of Nazi symbols is not a crime in Japan.

According to the Malaysian law, the display of Nazi symbols is a crime.

In Saudi Arabia, the display of Nazi symbols is illegal.

The Republic of Korea has no provisions or laws regarding the use of Nazi imagery.[25]

The use of Nazi symbols is legal in Thailand.[40][28]

The Turkish law bans the use of Nazi symbols.

Canada has no legislation specifically restricting the ownership, display, purchase, import or export of Nazi flags. However, sections 318–320 of the Criminal Code,[41] adopted by Canada's parliament in 1970 and based in large part on the 1965 Cohen Committee recommendations,[42] make it an offence to advocate or promote genocide, to communicate a statement in public inciting hatred against an identifiable group where it is likely to cause a breach of the public peace, or to communicate a statement which wilfully promotes hatred (other than in private conversation) against an identifiable group; and provides a framework for the judicially-authorized seizure, forfeiture and disposal of hate propaganda.[42]

There is a law in Mexico that bans the use of Nazi symbols.

The First Amendment to the United States Constitution guarantees freedom of speech, which the courts have interpreted very broadly to include hate speech, severely limiting the government's authority to suppress it.[30] This allows political organizations great latitude in expressing Nazi, racist, and antisemitic views. A landmark First Amendment case was National Socialist Party of America v. Village of Skokie, in which neo-Nazis threatened to march in a predominantly Jewish suburb of Chicago. The march never took place in Skokie, but the court ruling allowed the neo-Nazis to stage a series of demonstrations in Chicago.[43]

The use of Nazi symbols is illegal in Brazil. Laws No. 7,716/89 and No. 9,459/97 establish imprisonment and a fine for anyone who produces, markets, distributes or disseminates symbols, emblems, ornaments, badges or propaganda that use the swastika to advocate Nazism.[12]

Austria strictly prohibits the public display and/or proliferation of all insignia/symbols, emblems, uniforms (full or partial), flags, etc., clearly associated with the National Socialist German Workers' Party (NSDAP, commonly known as the Nazi Party). There are legal exceptions for works of art (including books, films, theatre performances, computer games, and educational/memorial public exhibitions, etc.), these however do not apply if the respective work promotes National Socialism (as this is generally prohibited in Austria). The law has been amended to include commonly recognised replacements or slightly modified depictions of Nazi symbols. Violations of the Badges Act 1960 (Abzeichengesetz 1960), which prohibits the public display of Nazi symbols, result in up to €4000-fine and up to one month of imprisonment as punishment. However, if the violation is deemed an attempt to promote National Socialism, the Prohibition Act 1947 (Verbotsgesetz 1947) is applied, resulting in up to ten years of imprisonment.

However, trading medals, uniforms or other memorabilia is not illegal in Austria.

Article 341¹ of the Criminal Code prohibits the public display, production, distribution, or storage for the purpose of distribution, of Nazi symbolism or paraphernalia. The offence for this is listed to result in a fine, arrest, up to three years of restraint of liberty or up to four years of imprisonment as punishment. Article 130¹ of the Criminal Code prohibits the rehabilitation of Nazism. The offence for this is listed to result in a fine, arrest, up to five years of restraint of liberty or up to five years of imprisonment.[10]

Czech Republic has no legislation restricting ownership, display, purchase, import or export of Nazi flags; indeed Czech legislation makes even the banning of protests involving such flags very difficult.[44]

In 1991, in Czechoslovakia, the criminal code was amended with 260 which banned propaganda of movements which restricted human rights and freedoms, citing Nazism and Communism. Later the specific mentions of these were removed citing their lack of clear legal definition. However, the law itself was recognised as constitutional.[45]

The police may cancel such events only once it becomes clear that protesters are inciting hate, which is deemed illegal in the Czech Republic. Legal regulation of hate crimes in the Czech Republic is contained in Act 140/1961 The Criminal Act[46] (amended by Act 175/1990).

Cyprus has no legislation designed to restrict the ownership, display, purchase, import or export of Nazi flags, nor does the Criminal Code of Cyprus expressly allow for racist or other bias motives to be taken into account when sentencing.[47]

However, use of Nazi flags in a manner likely to cause discrimination, hatred, or violence may be dealt with under Cyprus' ratification of the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination. This allows for the prosecution of anyone who expresses an idea (in public, using almost any medium including flags) which insults another person's race, religion or ethnicity.

In Denmark, the use of Nazi symbols is legal.

In early 2007, the Riigikogu was proceeding a draft bill amending the Penal Code to make the public use of Soviet and Nazi symbols punishable if used in a manner disturbing the public peace or inciting hatred.[48] The bill did not come into effect as it passed only the first reading in the Riigikogu.[49]

Finland has no specific legislation aimed at controlling ownership, display, purchase, import or export of Nazi flags, however the Criminal Code (39/1889)[50] (especially Chapter 11 'War crimes and offences against humanity' Section 8)[50] may be applied where an offence has been directed at a person belonging to a national, racial, ethnic or other population group due to his/her membership in such a group.[51]

Finland also has a history of swastikas for government and military flags. Flags containing the symbol can be found in the Finnish Air Force,[52][53] Defence Forces, certain regiments of the army and flight schools.

In France, it is a crime to display Nazi flags, uniforms and insignia in public, unless for the purpose of a historical film, show, filmmaking or spectacle.[14]

In April 2000, the International League against Racism and Anti-Semitism and Union des étudiants juifs de France (the Union of French Jewish Students) brought a case against Yahoo! which objected to the auctioning of Nazi memorabilia, in France, via Yahoo!'s website on the basis that it contravened Article R645-1.[54] A French judge did initially order Yahoo! to take measures to make it impossible for users in France to reach any Nazi memorabilia through the Yahoo! site.[55]

After World War Two, the penal code of the Federal Republic of Germany was amended to prohibit propaganda material and symbols of forbidden parties and other organisations (StGB 86 and 86a). This explicitly includes material in the tradition of a former national socialist organization. The production and distribution of such material is prohibited, as is the public display of the related symbols. Legal consequences can be a fine or a prison term of up to fifteen years

Examples are Nazi symbols, such as the swastika and the SS logo. It is legal to use the symbols for educational and artistic purposes, such as in films and videogames.[56]

Section 335 of the Act C of 2012 on the Criminal Code of Hungary regulates the "use of symbols of totalitarianism", including the swastika, the insignia of the SS, the Nyilaskereszt, the hammer and sickle, and the five-pointed red star.[57]

In Italy, it is a crime to display Nazi symbols.

In June 2013, the Latvian parliament approved a ban on the display of Nazi and Soviet symbols at all public events. The ban involves flags, anthems, uniforms, and the Nazi swastika.[58][17]

Lithuania banned Nazi symbols in 2008 (Article 188¹⁸ of the Code of Administrative Offences) under the threat of a fine.[18] Article 5 of the Law on Meetings prohibits meetings involving Nazi and Soviet imagery.[59]

In the Netherlands, there is a law that bans the use of Nazi symbols.

The use of Nazi symbols in Norway is legal.

In 2009, § 2 to 4 were added to Article 256 of the Polish Penal Code banning the "production, recording, importing, acquiring, storing, possessing, presenting or transporting" for the purpose of dissemination of "prints, recordings or other objects" that "publicly promote a fascist or other totalitarian system of state", unless done "as part of artistic, educational, collecting or academic activity", and provides for forfeiture regardless of owner upon conviction.[20]

Russian administrative code prohibits propaganda, production and dissemination of Nazi symbols and lookalikes with fines up to 100,000 rubles.[24]

In 2009, Serbia passed a law prohibiting "manifestations of Neo-nazi or Fascist organizations and associations, and use of the Neo-nazi or Fascist symbols and insignia".[60]

In Spain, there is no law prohibiting the display of Nazi symbology except when associated with criminal conduct.[26] A proposed ban is still awaiting consideration.[61]

On 9 February 2022, the Federal Council of Switzerland rejected a ban on Nazi symbols and salutes.[27]

The public display of Nazi and communist flags is illegal in Ukraine.[29][62] However, this is often widely disregarded, and even Ukrainian military units such as the Azov Brigade continues to use the Neo-Nazi Wolfsangel insignia on its banner. Moreover, at a nationalist rally held in the city of Lviv in 2018 it was reported that Nazi symbols were openly on display.

According to the British law, the use of Nazi symbols is not a crime.[63]

The public display of Nazi flags is illegal in New South Wales,[64] Queensland,[65] Tasmania,[66] Victoria[67] (also considering banning the Nazi salute)[68] and Western Australia.[69] Laws have also been proposed in the remaining states and territories.