Nazi Gnomes and censorship

A german artist, Ottmar Hoerl, has created a series of garden gnomes that display nazi-era symbols. Now he is being investigated for contravening German law that criminalises the depiction of symbols and gestures such as the nazi swastika and the sieg-heil salute.

Hoerl reportedly says he is lampooning the concept of the master race. A report on the BBC website reports that the ironic message was well received when the gnomes were exhibited in Belgium.

What I find disturbing about this story is that the works are subject to censorship and they were anonymously reported to German police. That this smacks of an authoritarian regime, and seems to reify the problem suggests that these policies and attitudes present a threat to democratic political process and human rights that was exemplified by the NDAP(nazis). That this might re-open a debate as to the nature of the German geist also might give other nations a chance to look at their own dark hearts.

Of course, how neo-Nazis would utilise a relaxation of censorship offers it's own problems. Perhaps reminding them how they look small and pompous might help- and that might require garden gnomes.