Germans bring fascism back

[Blank Frank]

[Achtung: Despite the jab, I realize you can substitute "Amerikan" for
"German"
and "kiddie-prawn" for "nazitunz"  -Ed.]

Tuesday April 10 1:41 PM ET
          Germany Cracks Down on
          Internet Nazi Music Trade

          By Adam Tanner

          BERLIN (Reuters) - German police swooped down
          on the homes of more than 100 computer buffs in a
          new crackdown on the illegal trade of Nazi songs
          over the Internet, officials said on Tuesday.

          The federal crime agency said the prosecutor's office
          in Bonn had opened 120 cases against computer
          enthusiasts accused of trading illegal songs of
          far-right ``skinhead bands.''

          Displaying Nazi symbols and trading Nazi music are
          banned in Germany, but the Internet has made it ever
          more difficult for authorities to stem the flow of
          such material.

          A quick search of the Internet shows many sites
          offering compact MP3 files of songs such as the
          ``Horst Wessel Song'' -- the anthem of the Nazi
          party -- and many modern-day variants such as the
          ``Swastika Flies Again.''

          Even though swapping music files over the Internet
          is most common in the United States, the MP3
          compression technique that enabled the easy transfer
          of files was created in Germany.

          German officials said it is not illegal to listen to
          Nazi songs, but it is forbidden to offer others the
          chance to download them via internet sites which
          offer music for sale and swapping.

          Seized Computers And Disks

          The federal crime agency said local police across
          Germany had searched apartments belonging to 103
          people in a coordinated operation last week. They
          seized computers and disks and the suspects face
          prison sentences of up to three years.

          ``The crime agency measures are seen as successful
          and show that even the Internet music exchange
          market is not a lawless realm,'' the agency said in a
          statement.

          Even if Germany scores occasional battles against
          electronic hate, officials say they are facing an
          ever-growing menace.

          ``None of us wants the Internet to turn into a
          stomping group of anti-social and anti-community
          rabble-rousers and preachers of hate,'' Justice
          Minister Herta Daeubler-Gmelin told a conference
          on governing the Internet last week. ``But in the past
          year such Web sites have become numerous despite
          all efforts.''

          The Interior Ministry denied in a statement on
          Tuesday a report that it was considering using
          hacking methods to disable sites whose content is
          illegal in Germany.

          ``Internet sites with far-right, neo-Nazi, anti-Semitic
          and violence-glorifying contents are a growing
          threat,'' the ministry said. ``These offerings are
          nearly always put on the net from abroad, so
          Germany has no legal grounds (for action).''

          The ministry said it was working closely with
          national authorities and international bodies to
          counter the problem.

          A French court last year ordered the popular web
          site Yahoo to block access to sites offering Nazi
          memorabilia for sale. In France it is illegal to
          exhibit or sell objects with racist overtones.