Stardate 20030406.1212

(On Screen): I understand the fact that World War II was far more devastating for Europe than it was for my country, and a deep hatred the kinds of beliefs which caused it. Certainly no one wants anything like that to ever happen again.

But I've never understood the European rules which try to suppress the use of certain logos. Is this yet another case where people assume that control of symbols controls thought?

Is it presumed that letting people use the swastika, for whatever reason, would somehow seduce more into some sort of neo-Nazism? Or that by suppressing the swastika that no one would have those kinds of attitudes?

It's hard to believe those things. And those laws lead to cases where people can't even use those symbols as ways of opposing that kind of thing. Take, for instance, this article about recent events in Hungary.

The headline reads, "Hungarian police remove symbols of tyranny". It describes how they've been removing copies of the following poster, and arrested some of those who created it:

The caption reads, "You can vote with a NO too".

I happen to think that this is a very effective poster at getting across a certain point of view. Maybe you agree with that point of view, maybe you don't. But it makes its point very clearly: its proponents think that joining the EU would be a mistake for Hungary, and that Hungarians are being asked to voluntarily submit themselves to foreign subjugation. (Considering France's recent antics, this is no small concern.)

The article says that the reason for the police action was a charge that the posters contain forbidden symbols of Nazi and Soviet autocracy. But it's clear that those producing this poster are not Nazis, or fans of the Soviet occupation. On the contrary, they hated both of them; they're being used here as bad examples.

I'm having a hard time shaking the suspicion that these arrests were indirectly a way of trying to suppress those who oppose Hungarian membership in the EU. It's a very significant decision and one that should not be made lightly, and all sides on the issue should be permitted to make their case.

"Hungarian police remove symbols of tyranny". Seems to me that the police act was a symbol of tyranny.