Chinese tourists arrested for Nazi salutes at German parliament

Two Chinese tourists have been arrested in Berlin for making Hitler salutes outside the German parliament

parliament

File image of the Reichstag building in Berlin, Germany. Source: AAP

Two Chinese tourists have been detained for performing banned Nazi salutes in front of the German parliament in Berlin, police say.

German police on Saturday arrested the two tourists for making illegal "Heil Hitler" salutes in front of the historic Reichstag building that houses the parliament.

Berlin police officers say they detained the two men, aged 36 and 49, after they were seen striking the Nazi-era pose and photographing each other with their mobile phones.

Police said in a statement that the men were questioned at a nearby precinct but later released after leaving a security deposit of 500 euros ($A747) each.
They face charges for "using symbols of illegal organizations", the police said in a statement, and were released after posting bail of 500 euros each.

Germany has strict laws on hate speech and symbols linked to Hitler and the Nazis, who ruled between 1933 and 1945.

The Reichstag is a powerful symbol in Germany. It was destroyed by fire in 1933 by an arsonist thought to have been paid by the Nazis, who then blamed the blaze on the Communists and used it as an excuse to severely restrict civil liberties.

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Source: Reuters, AAP



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