European Hindus Oppose EU Proposal To Ban Swastika

As Germany's Prime Minister Angela Merkel assumes her 6-month term as president of the European Union, Germany is encouraging the EU to harmonize laws across all member nations to make Holocaust denial a crime and ban Nazi symbols, particularly the swastika. (BBC News, Jan. 15). However, Hindus across Europe are organizing to oppose a ban on the swastika. There is even an online petition to register opposition. Hindus have used the symbol for 5,000 years to represent peace. It is used at Hindu weddings to mean May Goodness Prevail. (The Australian, Jan. 17.)