A critical, annotated edition of Mein Kampf is coming out after its copyright held by the State of Bavaria expires
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There’s soul-searching in Germany over the printing of a new edition of Hitler’s Nazi manifesto, which has not been in publication since the Second World War.
A critical, annotated edition of Mein Kampf is coming out after its copyright held by the State of Bavaria expires.
Some say the work should be banned outright; others say it should be read so it’s seen for what it is.
Serdar Somoncu, an entertainer who’s spoken out in favour of publication, said: “I’m convinced that no one will be led down the wrong path by reading Mein Kampf.
“On the contrary, if he was already on the wrong path, he would be clearly put off by the ideology that’s in the book.”
Teachers groups in Germany have also said the book should be studied – albeit in a critical way – to the horror of those who survived Nazi atrocities.
Esther Bejarano, a survivor from the Auschwitz concentration camp, said: “I find this really really awful. I’m absolutely lost for words.
“I never dreamed that such a thing would come back.”
The debate comes as a politician from the far-right National Democratic Party was given a suspended six-month sentence for inciting hatred.
The man was photographed in a public swimming pool with a tattoo on his back of what appeared to be a concentration camp and a slogan used by the Nazis.
German teachers call for Mein Kampf to be put back on the syllabus https://t.co/kYYkjmjlZB pic.twitter.com/pq02sOBAvN
— Telegraph News (@TelegraphNews) December 21, 2015
German teachers and politicians want 'Mein Kampf' to be included in school curriculum https://t.co/iz5JM6NkAL pic.twitter.com/QQgv1PCqpZ
— Haaretz.com (@haaretzcom) December 20, 2015
How booksellers will deal with #MeinKampf https://t.co/qzVQ4802Ks pic.twitter.com/B7p84zgV1e
— dwnews (@dwnews) December 18, 2015
Hitler's Mein Kampf to be sold in Germany after copyright expiry.
tomsteinfort</a> <a href="https://t.co/uPjuHwvmLd">https://t.co/uPjuHwvmLd</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/9News?src=hash">#9News</a> <a href="https://t.co/idq0283ozZ">pic.twitter.com/idq0283ozZ</a></p>— Nine News Australia (9NewsAUS) December 20, 2015