World War II rocket fighter with a historically accurate, low-visibility
swastika shown on the fin, as displayed in a German aviation museum in 2005 '' and of 1933–1935 (
de) (outlawed by the Nazi regime in 1935) due to § 86a.
Black Front (1930–1933), occasionally used by neo-Nazis as a substitute for the
flag of Nazi Germany due to § 86a. The text of the law does not name the individual symbols to be outlawed, and there is no official exhaustive list. A symbol may be a flag, emblem, uniform, or a motto or greeting formula. The prohibition is not tied to the symbol itself but to its use in a context suggestive of association with outlawed organizations. Thus, the
Swastika is outlawed if used in a context of
völkisch ideology — while it is legitimate if used as a symbol of religious faith — particularly any South, South Eastern or East Asian religions. Similarly, the is outlawed if used in the context of the
Junge Front but not in other contexts such as heraldry, or as the emblem of "landscape poet"
Hermann Löns. Because of the law, German Neo-Nazis took to displaying modified symbols similar but not identical with those outlawed. In 1994, such symbols were declared equivalent to the ones they imitate ( § 2). As a result of the ban on Nazi symbols, German Neo-Nazis have used older symbols such as
the black-white-red German Imperial flag (which was also briefly used by the Nazis alongside the party flag as one of two official flags of Nazi Germany from 1933 until 1935) as well as variants of this flag such as the one with the Iron Cross| and the variants, the Imperial-era , the and the flag of the
Strasserite Black Front – a splinter Nazi organization – as alternatives. They have also used the American
Confederate battle flag, due to its association with racism and
white supremacy. Affected by the law according to
Federal Constitutional Court of Germany rulings are: • (1952) • (1956) • () • (1982) • (1983) • (1992) (not to be confused with ) • (1992) • (1994) • (1995) •
Blood and Honour, Germany chapter (2000) Symbols known to fall under the law are: • the
swastika as a symbol of the
Nazi Party, prohibited in all variants, including mirrored, inverted etc. • a stylized
Celtic cross, prohibited as a symbol of the
VSBD/PdA and in the variant used by the
White Power movement. The legal status of the symbol used in non-political contexts is uncertain, but non-political use is not acted upon in practice. • the
solar cross as a symbol of the
Ku Klux Klan (symbol of
cross burning from the
"second Klan" era onward), the
German Faith Movement, the
Thule Society and the
5th and
11th Waffen SS divisions • the
Sig rune as used by the
SS • the emblem • the legal status of the
Othala SS-rune is disputed; prohibited as a symbol of the . Post-war military usage was incorporated into the with a stylized "Odal SS-rune" being featured on the shoulder insignia of the with it also being used by the ranks succeeding it. • the as used by the
2nd,
4th and
34th Waffen-SS divisions, and • badges (2002) • : prohibited in the Third Reich version including a swastika. • the greeting (1970) • the greeting (1990) • , along with the symbol, as the motto of the
Waffen-SS and as the verbal equivalent of the
Hitler salute. • The with the Nazi swastika. • the (the anthem of the Nazi Party) and (a song of the
Hitler-Jugend) (1991) • the
hammer and sickle,
red star and
red flag when used as emblems of the
Communist Party of Germany • The
Black Standard of the
Islamic State; widely considered the chief sigil or flag of the jihadi group. • the
People's Protection Units (YPG)
pennant was explicitly banned as a symbol related to the
PKK on 2 March 2017, even though the organisation itself is not currently recognised as terrorist. • Since the
2022 invasion of Ukraine by Russia, several states including
Berlin,
Lower Saxony and
Bavaria are looking to put the
military Z symbol under the law. •
Hamas is considered a terrorist organisation in the European Union and has been forbidden in Germany since 2023. Accordingly, the public use of all symbols of Hamas is prohibited, including their emblem, flag, logo, images of their representatives, and the
red triangle used by Hamas to mark their targets. The phrase "
From the river to the sea" is also considered a symbol of Hamas, as long as it is not used in a context that "unambiguously" has nothing to do with the organisation, for example if the organisers of a demonstration have explicitly distanced themselves from Hamas. The use of the
Palestinian flag is generally allowed, but might be subjected to restrictions in some schools. Palestinian flags have been confiscated by the police at some demonstrations. Illustration of the emblems mentioned in the list above: File:National Socialist swastika.svg|Nazi
swastika File:Parteiadler der Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei (1933–1945).svg|Party Eagle () of the Nazi Party File:Crossed circle.svg|
Solar cross File:Celtic cross.svg|
Celtic cross as used by
White Power movements File:Broken crossed circle.svg|Broken solar cross of the
Thule Society and the
German Faith Movement File:KKK.svg|
Ku Klux Klan (1915–current) File:Wolfsangel.svg| File:Nazi Odal rune.svg|
Odal rune File:SA-Logo.svg| emblem File:Sig Runes.svg| sig runes File:Totenkopf.svg| File:Flag of the NSDAP (1920–1945).svg|Flag of the
Nazi Party Flag of Germany (1935–1945).svg|Flag of the
Third Reich (1935–1945) File:War Ensign of Germany 1938-1945.svg| 1938–1945 (national war flag) File:Reichsdienstflagge 1935.svg| 1935–1945 (Reich service flag) File:KPD-logo.svg|Emblem of the
Communist Party of Germany (redrawn after a historical lapel pin) File:Flag of the Communist Party of Germany.svg|
Red flag of the
Communist Party of Germany File:Flag of the Communist Party of Germany (reverse).svg|Reverse side of the
red flag of the Communist Party of Germany File:AQMI Flag asymmetric.svg|
Islamic State version of the
jihadist black flag File:People's Protection Units Flag.svg|Flag of the Kurdish
People's Protection Units File:2022 Russian Invasion vehicle marking Z.svg|
Russian "Z" military symbol File:Flag of al-Qassam Brigades.svg|
Hamas flag ==Anti-fascist symbols==