GERMANY RE-RELEASES HITLER’S ‘MEIN KAMPF’ WITH COUNTER-NOTES

BY NIELS SCHACK NORGAARD

ANCHOR CHRISTINA HARTMAN

One of the most notorious books of all time is set for a controversial re-release.
The German state of Bavaria, which owns the copyright on the book, will publish Adolf Hitler’s autobiographical work “Mein Kampf” with notes countering Hitler’s arguments. Here’s Euronews:

“The decision to reprint Hitler’s work comes as the copyright is set to expire in 2015. Concerns that once anyone is free to publish the book neo-Nazis would churn out books favorable to the nazi leader.”

Mein Kampf will also be published in a separate version for schools, educating children about the frightening thoughts of Adolf Hitler – of course along with historians’ commentary and criticism, writes The Guardian.

“‘The expiration of the copyright in three years’ time might well lead to more young people reading Mein Kampf,’ [Bavaria’s finance minister, Markus Söder, said], adding that he hoped the school version would help to demystify the book and emphasise the ’global catastrophe that this dangerous way of thinking led to.’”

Germany has some of Europe’s strictest bans on hate speech. Earlier this year, when British publisher Peter McGee was refused permission to sell excerpts of Mein Kampf, a journalist at German newspaper The Local wrote, it’s time Germany has a showdown with banning hate speech.

He claimed it only mystifies extremist propaganda and makes it more appealing.

“The solution is simple: Allow every perspective to be heard freely. Let the neo-Nazis spout their hate. Let them wave their flags. Let Mein Kampf be read freely by the masses. But let’s make sure we shout them down and educate the next generation to think critically and reject their evil propaganda.”

Karl Freller, director of a Bavarian foundation that administers the memorials at two former Nazi concentration camps, told Der Spiegel he hopes bookstores will cooperate with the Bavarian state.

“We are relying on them to voluntarily refrain from selling or printing ‘Mein Kampf’ and choosing to offer the new academic edition instead.”

Many in the Jewish community in Germany also think re-releasing a critical version of Mein Kampf is a good idea. Dieter Graumann, head of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, calls the decision ‘responsible’, according to the Herald Sun. The books will be published just before or in 2015.