Don't mention the walk (Soccer Fans Who Use Nazi Humor at World Cup to be Jailed)

The Sun ^ | February 9, 2006 | NICK PARKER

[RWR8189]

Fawlty powers ... two weeks in jail if fans goose-step like Basil

GERMAN cops will use sweeping powers to collar England fans doing Basil Fawlty-style Hitler impressions at the World Cup. Yobs will be instantly banged up for TWO WEEKS if they goose-step like John Cleese in his most famous Fawlty Towers scene. And hard core louts who give Nazi salutes — like the one jokingly made by Michael Barrymore in Celebrity Big Brother — could be hauled before a judge within 24 hours. If convicted of inciting hatred they will face jail terms of up to THREE YEARS. Wearing joke German helmets or any offensive insignia will also result in a stretch behind bars. The crackdown was revealed by police in Nuremberg, where England will play Trinidad and Tobago in a first-round World Cup match on June 15. The city is particularly sensitive to World War II jibes. Its gleaming World Cup stadium stands in the shadow of the parade ground used for Hitler’s notorious Nazi rallies in the 1930s. Not awight ... salute like Barrymore could end with three YEARS in jail The city was carpet-bombed by the Allies during the war. Cops there say Nazi taunts are NOT funny and will NOT be tolerated. Police chief Gerhard Hauptmannl, a 59-year-old former judge and Mafia crimebuster, said yesterday:   “We will come down hard on people who use insulting behaviour or make trouble. We are very sensitive about our history. England football fans should be aware that the Nazi salute and provocative behaviour like goose-stepping in public will be punished. We will offer the warmest welcome to true football fans. But anyone glorifying extremism here risks arrest. We are prepared to use our police powers to hold fans for up to two weeks without charge if we feel they are a threat to public safety and order. This used to be the city of the Nazi rallies but is now famous as the city of human rights. We do not live in the past.” Around 10,000 England fans will have tickets for the match at the refurbished 44,000-seat Franken Stadium on the outskirts of the rebuilt Bavarian city. But a similar number of Three Lions followers are expected to travel without tickets — including our nation’s notorious hooligan element. The city’s police are beefing up CCTV surveillance with a £1.1million space-age computerised control centre. Jail awaits ... Sun man Nick Parker inspects German cells It has a bank of high-definition flat screen monitors linked to cameras that can zoom in on a single face. Close-up pictures can then be transmitted to snatch squads who will grab ringleaders in seconds. A new cell block has been built at Nuremberg’s police HQ, with space for at least 65 prisoners. Another 230 cells will be available in the area. Even the stadium has its own lock-up block ready for hooligans and drunks. More than 3,000 cops will be on red alert, including a rapid reaction force supported by highly-trained riot teams, helicopters, water cannon and dogs. Uniformed British bobbies will also patrol grounds where England play. Police station jailer Sergeant Horst Schwarz showed The Sun one of 14 purpose-built steel cages installed in the bowels of the nick.

He declared: “English, German or whatever, I don’t care. If they are hooligans, they will not cause problems once they arrive here.”

Police fear rival yobs who follow teams from the old East Germany may travel to confront English louts.

They are also worried racist Brits will attack black Trinidad and Tobago fans.

Mr Hauptmannl said: “We are co-operating with British police to look for any provocative behaviour in the city which might lead to violence.

“Racist abuse of black people by England fans will also be taken very seriously.

“If such behaviour is seen as a threat to order, my officers will have the power to remove offensive fans from the situation.

“They can then be held for up to two weeks without charge or charged under a fast track system and fined or jailed the next day.

“Either way, we have the power to deal with troublemakers and we will not hesitate to use it.”

More than 3,000 England fans are on a banning order list forbidding them to attend matches.

It is possible another 1,100 names will be added before the World Cup tournament kicks off.

But German authorities are ignoring warnings about booze-fuelled aggro.

Bars will serve strong local beer from 1pm to 1am on match days.

[BlessedBeGod]

Then they're no better than the Nazis themselves.

[SlowBoat407]

The Ministry of Silly Walks is real!

It's not really much of a silly walk, now, is it? It's more of a Nazi goosestep with a half twist at the end. Not even very original.

I'm sorry, but the ministry will have to turn down your request for funds to develop your silly walk.

[SlowBoat407]

One of the absolute best things about free speech is that it allows people to show off just how tasteless, bigoted and idiotic they truly are. Otherwise, they would just keep all of that under wraps until the day it erupts in a massive display of bad temper.

[ko_kyi]

I said, "You wouldn't have much fun in STALINGRAD"

[wolficatZ]

[wolficatZ]

 

The Ministry of Silly Walks

[monday]

"And how sad and ironic that they think it is appropriate to use totalitaian methods to supress their totalitarian past."

I guess some Germans are still Nazi's at heart. They deserve to be ridiculed.

[plain talk]

This is too funny. I give my TV set a seig heil everytime I see Hillary. If it hits me right sometimes I rise to attention and launch a full Basil.

[Michael81Dus]

Ok guys, maybe it´s time to listen to a German voice supporting this law: This is the country from where the worst war in history started, which is responsible for the death of 6 million Jews and many millions of civilians of other countries. The Nazi salute, the swastika, the goose-stepping are symbols that stand for these horrible atrocities. They stand for dozens of millions of deads. Do you think that it is appropriate to use these symbols in any form to make fun? I find it disgusting. What would the Nazi victims say about this? People who lived under the regime, who feared every second for their lives, too often without a happy end. Yes, we indeed know no humor with regard to the darkest chapter of Germany´s history - and I´m d@mn-d proud of it!

Some say the British fans are mocking our grandfathers. So what do they care about the grandfathers? If I were a Brit, I wouldn´t be too proud of my history. First, the two world wars won against Germany were only won because of the US and the Ruskies, and secondly, the colonialism isn´t a bright chapter, either.

Every other western nation is able to have fun without referring to wars, even the Dutch. We laugh about Dutch stereotypes and prejudices, they laugh about ours, and we still have learned to respect us.

If I came to England as a guest to an international sports competition, such as London 2012, I wouldn´t dare to ridicule their royal family or their history. I´d do the best to behave like a good guest.

If I weren´t in favour of President Bush and visited your country, I still wouldn´t wear a T-shirt calling your President whatever - even though your laws allow that as well as burning the US flag in public.

You may be free to think and say whatever you want. You even may do the Nazi salute in Germany. But do it privately or among friends so that your behaviour is not provocative. All I wish for is that our laws are respected, and that you don´t call us Muslim-like or anti-democratic because we´ve put the dignity of the Nazi victims a bit higher on our list than your freedom of speech.

I´m looking forward to a great World Cup, and I´m optimistic that our guests will behave as such, so that our policemen don´t have to waste their time on Nazi-costumed Brits.

[dfwgator]

I do agree that when you visit a country you should respect their laws, even if you don't agree. Or if you don't like their laws, don't go there.

[Tribune7]

And who says Germans don't have a sense of humor.

[Fenris6]

Ok guys, maybe it´s time to listen to a German voice supporting this law:

Hey, I admit I went overboard. Sorry about that. We get quite an earful of anti-american hate from politicians in Germany, so its a natural reflex to throw a few back. But I agree that continually bringing up Germany's nazi past is bad form.

Anyways, I hope the World Cup goes without a hitch.

[Michael81Dus]

Fenris, but you have heard that we had a partly "regime change"? President Bush and Chancellor Merkel have just phoned today, and they seem to feel sympathy for each other. :-)

[Sofa King]

"Do you think that it is appropriate to use these symbols in any form to make fun?"

More appropriate than upholding the ideology that they stood for with totalitarian laws and practices.

[Michael81Dus]

So you say it´s totalitarian to punish people who enjoy insulting victims of the Nazi regime? Would you say that it´s also totalitarian to arrest people without a court order and keep them in prison without even giving them the choice to inform their relatives, a lawyer or a hearing before a judge for months? Ok, then we both live in countries with totalitarian governments.

[Michael81Dus]

Exactly. I mean, we haven´t made these laws for British fans, but for Neo-Nazis. We ain´t gonna changing our laws for Brits who haven´t heard the word "respect".

[plain talk]

so that our policemen don´t have to waste their time on Nazi-costumed Brits.

Let me re-word it for you

... so that our Gestapo, er police, don't have to waste their time on costumed Brits asking them for their papers, please.

You Germans are free to pass whatever laws you want. At the same time we are free to point out how stupid and pathetic you look trying to defend using Gestapo tactics to arrest people for simply giving a Nazi salute. Sieg Heil to you, sir. (I just gave you a Nazi salute as I often do to ridicule people who abuse positions of power. Hillary often gets one from me).

[Michael81Dus]

I´m sure you understand German, you´ve showed me that you learned Sieg Heil, so it won´t be difficult to translate this, will it?

Nun, ich die Sprache der Nazis ist meine Muttersprache, warum soll ich dich nicht so ansprechen, wo du ja schon deren Parolen ohne Nachzudenken übernimmst? Dir fehlt offensichtlich jeder Funke Anstand, denn du - wie alle anderen, die unsere Gesetze kritisieren - verstehst nicht, was es bedeutet wenn Worte oder Taten für millionenfachen Massmord stehen. Auch du wirst uns nicht von unserem richtigen Kurs abbringen können, denn zumindest diese Gesetze sind erfreulicherweise unbestritten hier. Wir wollen nicht, dass irgendjemand noch einmal auf die Würde der Toten beleidigt, doch genau das würde geschehen, wenn man auf Deutschlands Straßen wieder Nazi-Parolen hört, der Hitler-Gruß gezeigt wird, oder der Stechschritt aufgeführt wird. Gott segne Deutschland, und gib denen ein Gefühl für Würde und Anstand, die heute in blindem Hass die Fehler der Vergangenheit wiederholen.

[Joe Boucher]

1st yes you are right, in that anything using Nazi stuff is in bad taste.
However here we aren't so anal that we make laws prohibiting bad tate or we wouldn't let fat Italian men from Italy wear speedos on our beaches.
Also given any chance to make fun of the Brittish Royals it is fair game, bunch of spoiled worthless inbreds.