By Dave Graham in Berlin | December 07, 2007
A LEFT-wing German politician has filed charges against online encyclopedia Wikipedia for promoting the use of banned Nazi symbols in Germany.
Katina Schubert, a deputy leader of the Left party, said she had filed the charge with Berlin police on the grounds that Wikipedia's German language site contained too much Nazi symbolism, particularly an article on the Hitler Youth movement.
"The extent and frequency of the symbols on it goes beyond what is needed for documentation and political education, in my view," she said.
"This isn't about restricting freedom of opinion, it's about examining what the limits are."
Ms Schubert said she had legal advice before making her move, and that she hoped it would encourage public debate on how far internet platforms should be allowed to aid proponents of extremist, anti-semitic and racist ideologies.
"There are signs neo-Nazis are trying to take advantage of such structures, and this needs to be stopped in good time," Ms Schubert said.
"Especially given that Wikipedia is too important to jeopardise as an open and self-regulating project."
Wikimedia Deutschland, an organisation that promotes the internet lexicon in Germany, rejected the charge.
"We don't really know what Ms Schubert's problem is," Arne Klempert, managing director of Wikimedia Deutschland, said.
"What's important is the context the symbols are used in, and here it's quite clearly education and documentation."
"Anyone who tries to prevent the Nazi period being documented properly has a strange understanding of the world, in my view," Mr Klempert said.
"Because that's the best weapon there is (to prevent) something like that from happening again."
Public display of Nazi symbols is illegal in Germany, but they can be used for educational and artistic purposes.
Mr Klempert said Wikipedia's structure, which enables Internet users to discuss and edit content, ensured no bias arose.
"Particularly on subjects like the Hitler Youth, you can be sure it would be changed in seconds if it did (show bias)," he said.
