Showing Russian “Z” war symbol punishable – BZ Berlin

Anyone who publicly uses the license plate “Z” of the Russian armed forces in the Ukraine war in Berlin should be prosecuted.

Interior Senator Iris Spranger (SPD) told the Tagesspiegel (Monday). “If the context of the war is created with the use of the white Z, as can be seen on the Russian military vehicles, then of course that means advocating a war of aggression,” said the SPD politician. “That would be a punishable offence, so we’ll intervene immediately.”

Lower Saxony and Bavaria announced criminal consequences for using the symbol on Friday. The SPD parliamentary group in the Stuttgart state parliament, Rüdiger Erben, the spokesman on domestic policy for the SPD state parliamentary group in Saxony-Anhalt, as well as the CDU, FDP and SPD in North Rhine-Westphalia have also spoken out in favor of a ban on the “Z” symbol.

Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, a white “Z” has often been seen on Russian tanks and uniforms. The Latin letter is a symbol used by pro-war advocates and stands for “Za Pobedu” – “For Victory”. It will also be shown outside of the war zone on buildings, cars and clothing, as well as on social media.

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Berlin’s interior senator said the basis for the ban was paragraph 140 of the Criminal Code, which made it a punishable offense to approve of certain crimes. Up to three years imprisonment or a fine are possible.

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