People who give the Nazi salute or use other related expressions may end up with only a fine or a warning instead of more severe punishment, according to new legislation approved by Parliament.
Under the new law, police will now have to assess the intention of such a gesture. If the gesture was exercised with the intention of promoting and spreading Nazism, then it’s considered a crime, punishable with up to five years in jail. If there was no intention then the person in question will be fined up to €500 or get an official police reprimand. The daily Sme reported on this issue on Monday, reminding readers of the case when the incumbent Banská Bystrica regional governor Marian Kotleba was accused of using at a rally in 2009 the greeting of a paramilitary group that operated during Slovakia’s pro-Nazi wartime state. The prosecutor on the case, however, dropped the accusations saying it was not enough evidence to prove the intent to promote ideas suppressing the principal human rights of others.
Now the police maintain that the new, softer measures are aimed at avoiding excessive penalties in cases that aren't so serious in their opinion, such as the drawing or spraying of Nazi emblems in public spaces by teenagers who simply want to show off, for instance. However, extremism experts quoted by the daily claim that the law is ambiguous and could reduce people's fears of being punished. Co-author of the new set of rules Peter Sepesi from the Prosecutor-General's Office admits that police could interpret the law in a number of ways, which might lead to some offenders slipping under the radar, but he adds that practice will help improve its application.
