August 6, 2006

Akin crosses a T.

The police in Hamburg have opened a rather silly investigation. They're taking a close look at one of Fatih Akin's T-shirts. Yes, the shirt's got a swastika on it; but the swastika replaces the "s" in the word "Bush." So it's not a fascist statement, as Spiegel Online reports, which, of course, would be a no-no in Deutschland, but rather, an "anti-American signal."

Fatih Akin

Der Spiegel's asked Akin (Head-On) about his fashion statement: "Bush's policies are comparable to those of the Third Reich," he says, adding that it's the normalization of torture and the hot pursuit of WWIII that makes the administration "fascists." That may be playing a little fast and loose with the true definition of the word, but Akin wouldn't be the first to stretch it that far.

At any rate, the film Akin's working on in Hamburg stars Hannah Schygulla and would, as SO puts it, turn any true Nazi red-faced with fury. It tells the story of an upper class German woman who falls for an illegal immigrant, an activist woman from Turkey.

Posted by dwhudson at August 6, 2006 4:22 AM

Comments

Where can I get one of those t-shirts? Heh.

Posted by: Michael Guillen at August 6, 2006 7:47 AM

I wish Der Spiegel had snapped a shot of him actually wearing it.

Posted by: David Hudson at August 6, 2006 10:06 AM

I want one of those T-shirts. I have a credit card and I'm allowed to use it. My wife said I can buy anything I want and so can you as long as its within reason.

Posted by: at August 6, 2006 9:09 PM

So it's not a fascist statement, ... but rather, an "anti-American signal."

Which in the opinion of many people would probably be even worse. Dear God but I'm glad I keep away from political weblogs these days, cos I can see the right having hysterics over this.

Posted by: James Russell at August 6, 2006 10:04 PM

Deutsche Welle picks up the story (in English).

Posted by: David Hudson at August 7, 2006 11:27 AM

The truth is often inconvenient so I am glad someone is speaking their mind. These are not the times to keep silence when freedom and democracy is being compromised everyday by the Bush government. It is easy to criticize Nazi Germany from the convenient distance of time, what is difficult is to stand up for ones beliefs in a present time when the most powerful government in the world is using fear and war against all humanity. I applaud Mr. Akin.

Posted by: papatya at August 9, 2006 9:14 AM