Originally published by JP Updates
Residents of the Polish city Częstochowa were shocked when they woke up and saw an enormous yellow swastika painted across a large courtyard. The culprit, Marek Pelian, claimed it was not a Nazi symbol but, rather, “The Yellow Brick Road” that leads to the enchanted city of Oz.
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It was reported that local residents complained to police, since the swastika was in a parking lot and clearly visible from the center of town.
Pelian, the owner of the Ray disco, denied in interviews with local media that it was an anti-Semitic act, or that the symbol was meant to be perceived as a swastika.
“What swastika? This is just the yellow brick road from the Wizard of Oz, ” Pelian claimed, explaining that one arm leads to the nightclub’s door, while another will lead to an outdoor stage, not yet built.
“This design has four arms, just like the galaxy, and this is astronomical disco, ” he added. “Just because Hitler used it does not mean it’s a sign of totalitarianism.”
His claim is a bit difficult to believe, since there is no reference to the yellow brick road being this shape in the novel by Richard Baum, and in the 1939 movie, the beginning of the road was portrayed as a swirl, not a swastika.
In many countries, public display of Nazi flags and swastikas is illegal. In Poland it is considered a symbol of fascism and is punishable by up to 8 years in jail. A Polish prosecutor who, in 2013, refused to prosecute such a case was acquitted. His claim was:
“Currently, in European countries and in the US, the swastika is associated almost exclusively with Adolf Hitler and Nazism, but in Asia it is widely used as a symbol for happiness and prosperity. In this case, it is difficult to see a painted swastika as a symbol promoting fascism, ” the district prosecutor said in his statement.
In another disturbing case in Poland, a 30-year-old resident of Chorzow, was detained after walking around the city with a black shirt with a swastika painted on the front and a black eagle holding a wreath with a swastika, the official symbol of the Third Reich, on the back. He was detained while drinking beer with friends. Breathalyzer test showed that he had a blood alcohol level four times higher than allowed by Polish law.
The prosecutor asked for a two-year jail sentence for promoting fascism. The defendant claimed that he “borrowed the shirt from his sister and wore it to see what reactions he would get.”
The judge denied the prosecutor’s request and acquitted the man, saying that his behavior did not promote fascism.
As noted above, Nazi symbols are not illegal for being symbols of Nazism, but for being symbols of fascism.
In our present case, it remains unknown if local police will decide to open a criminal investigation. Meanwhile, the swastika remains.
