Germany: displaying Russian “Z” becomes a criminal offense in Bavaria and Lower Saxony

Young men walk past graffiti depicting the letters Z and V, which have become symbols of the Russian military, on a wall in St. Petersburg, Russia, Wednesday, March 23, 2022. AP

Text by: RFI Follow

2 mins

The letter "Z" has become in Russia the symbol of the war waged against Ukraine.

It would mean "Towards victory" or "The West", according to the interpretations present.

Kremlin supporters also use this symbol abroad.

We saw it in Germany on the sidelines of demonstrations against anti-Covid measures.

Certain German regions consider the support given to a war considered contrary to international law reprehensible and intend to prosecute the people who will raise this symbol publicly. 

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With our correspondent in Berlin,

From now on, displaying this symbol of Kremlin supporters will be reprehensible in Bavaria and Lower Saxony.

Under the German penal code, publicly supporting a crime is punishable by a fine or up to three years in prison.

Bavarian Justice Minister Georg Eisenreich warned on Friday March 25 that the “

”.

In Lower Saxony, Interior Minister Boris Pistorius made similar statements, saying that the latter “

”.

The police will have to verify that the use of this symbol corresponds to support for the Russian invasion.

►Also read:

The "Z", new emblem of anti-restrictions linked to Covid-19

Since the start of the war against Ukraine, a white “Z” has appeared on the tanks and uniforms of the Russian invasion forces.

This sign has since been used in the public space, in Russia, but also outside the country and the war zone.

In Germany, the symbol is not used in demonstrations in support of the Kremlin, but rather in rallies still organized by circles who continue to

.

Most of them disappearing, support for the Russian regime makes it possible to fall back on a new theme and cultivate the rejection of a dominant thought.

Already in the past, some participants in demonstrations against anti-Covid measures had brandished a portrait of Vladimir Putin or chanted the name of the Russian president.

In conspiratorial circles, solidarity with Moscow has a long tradition.

Protesters have been prosecuted in recent weeks for displaying the yellow star, a symbol of the persecution of Jews under the Third Reich, to draw a parallel between the Holocaust and anti-Covid measures.

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