The German Bundesrat, the upper chamber of the German parliament, has proposed banning Germans from denigrating both the European Union flag and anthem.
The Bundesrat, which is composed of delegates from the German states, passed a bill that could see individuals who either denigrate the EU flag or the EU anthem, Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy”, punished with a fine or up to three years in prison, Die Welt reports.
German newspaper Saarbrücken Zeitung obtained a draft of the law earlier this year that urged law enforcement agencies “to take firm and effective action against those whose aim is to disparage the fundamental values of the European Union”.
The draft continued, stating that violations would also cover attacks “on the reputation of the symbols of the European Union”.
The newly passed bill must now be ratified by the Bundestag, although no date for a vote on the matter has been scheduled so far.
French Schools Forced to Fly EU Flags Beside Tricolore in Macron Reforms https://t.co/ViASDDRnCs
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Germany has laws on the books that outlaw the denigration of foreign flags and national emblems but so far, the European Union’s flag and symbols have not been recognised under the laws.