Bans on Nazi symbols

Symbols that are most commonly associated with Nazism: the swastika, the doppelte Siegrune, and the SS Totenkopf

Several countries have banned the display of Nazi symbols and the flag of Nazi Germany outside of certain contexts. These bans are dictated either by broader legislation dealing with racism, hate speech, and discrimination; or by specifically anti-Nazi laws within Germany. Displaying symbols in support of Nazism is currently illegal or restricted in most of Europe and the Western world (including Russia and parts of Latin America), China, and Israel, among other countries and regions.

The most notable Nazi symbol is the swastika, which was appropriated and widely displayed by Hitler's regime across Germany and German-occupied Europe before and during World War II. Thus, while it was once an auspicious symbol in the Western world—as it had long been in the Eastern world—it has since become infamous for this association and consequently remains popular among neo-Nazis, but the swastika is originally and fundamentally a symbol that has been used by a variety of civilizations across Eurasia for thousands of years (including among the Germanic peoples) and holds spiritual connotations in many Indian religions, such as Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism. In many countries where it is otherwise banned, the symbol may be freely displayed due to legal exemptions on religious or historical grounds, although such usage is still commonly misinterpreted in Western societies.

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