Swastika- Symbol of Peace or Death?

Image from Cartoon stock

Polish news portal TheNews.pl reports today about a mobile suitcase carrying merchant with an unusual piece of merchandise that one wouldn't imagine would sell well in Warsaw - swastika badges.

They write that

for around 30 zlotys (10 dollars) in Warsaw Old Town - once razed to the ground by Hitler’s army – you can purchase badges with the Nazi symbol on them.

Of course this is not news for anyone who lives here, but I certainly remember being quite surprised and weirdly entertained the first time that I visited the Old Town in Warsaw and saw a number of people making a living out of materials that many deem offensive. It seemed a pretty harmless part of the capital gains process.

There's a lot of other assholes who are a real threat to democracy in Poland and propagators of quasi fascism who hold more powerful roles in society here than a man with a suitcase of tacky shite merchandise. Current Minister for Mis-education (but not for long more, thankfully) Giertdick for example, and his chubby buddy anti-semite homophobe Fr. Rydzdick!

Anyone who has travelled through Eastern European countries is well accustomed to being met on the street by a salesperson trying to pawn off fascist and communist junk.

Despite the fact that in Hungary the Arrowcross, 5 armed red star, swastika, hammer and sickle, and SS symbols are illegal, you can actually buy bags, pens, anoraks, hoodies and a host of other paraphernalia emblazoned with some of the forbidden symbols mentioned above in the excellent 'House of Terror' museum, Budapest. As a good friend living there told me, the law on banned symbols only matters if you really believe in them (the symbols that is, not the law).

The main tourist areas of Belgrade in Serbia and Prague in the Czech Republic have an assortment of bronze communist items (from badges, coins, statues to candle holders and medals), Lenin/Stalin portraits, military uniforms and hats - you name it, they have it. And if they don't have it, they'll point you in the direction to where you can quickly obtain it.

Also according to the Warsaw news item

it is not clear whether selling swastika badges is a breach of Article 256 of the Criminal Code banning the “public propagation of a fascist regime”.

But surely a shop keeper does not have any interest in promoting Coca-Cola for its corporate propaganda value and to be a friend of other Coca-cola lovers, apart from the fact that he/she just wants to sell his/her products and balance the books. Similarly, it is highly unlikely our suitcase seller protagonist is a fascist or even knows a huge pile about fascism, but rather is more than likely an opportunist distributor of fake materials he knows tourists are fascinated by.


Image from Lancaster anti-fascist blog
I would hazard to guess that most items sold in Warsaw's Old Town and elsewhere on the tourist-fascist symbols market soon end up in another suitcase as dust-catcher thousands of kilometres away from those who remember fascism, and therefore are hardly going to be used for propagating a fascist ideology or glorifying its brutal, bloody history.

But there may be a relevant point to the argument of my Budapest friend - it should only come to the attention of the authorities if the purchaser actually believes in the propaganda symbol and manifests this in a public manner that is deemed offensive.
I'm all for cracking down on fascists and their boneheaded beliefs.

But can you imagine how ludicrous the situation would be if Polish police arrested a Buddhist, Hindu, or Jainist visitor for purchasing one of the oldest known symbols in the world, which in their culture remains a symbol for peace amongst other positive things.

As Jennifer Rosenburg informs us

The word "swastika" comes from the Sanskrit svastika - "su" meaning "good," "asti" meaning "to be," and "ka" as a suffix. Until the Nazis used this symbol, the swastika was used by many cultures throughout the past 3,000 years to represent life, sun, power, strength, and good luck.

So the jury is still out on whether an ancient Buddhist peace symbol transformed in the minds of many into a symbol of death for millions in World War II should be banned or made part and parcel of the souvenir goodies tourists pick up on their way through Poland.

Even if they remain on sale in Warsaw and elsewhere, 30 zloty's is a pure rip off!