What happens if you hang a Nazi flag outside your house in the US? Is it illegal?

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• That would ultimately depend on where your home is located. For example, if you lived in Santee, California, you would probably make many friends. Especially if your house is located near the Kustom Kulture Klothing store (no, that is not a typo, it is the name of a real store that sells all the latest apparel for today's hip young skin headed youth).

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  by OhLook - IamNoLongerAnonymous on February 19th, 2009

• You are probably correct. But my guess would be that this type of display would not be welcome in most neighborhoods.

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  by Grammy Robin on February 20th, 2009

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• To say the least.

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  by Nasiswand on November 15th, 2008

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• I could be wrong, but I thought I heard on the History(?) channel that even though they won in court, the Nazis ultimately didn't march.
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  I think the ACLU was also successful in getting a small Christian cross removed from the LA city seal or symbol.
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  I think the sight of Nazi swastikas creeping down your street is a lot more of an affront to good people than a barely noticeable cross on a symbol that can only been seen in certain fixed places.

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  by Brian on December 5th, 2008

• I don't know that much about the Nazi case (except that it was a movie starring Danny Kaye!). I agree, though, that swastikas marching are scarier than a cross... for most people. I have friends who were in the Holocaust, though, for whom anything Christian- or German-oriented sends them into a PTSD attack. (One in particular is also terrified of dogs, to the point where even our cute little bichon puppy makes her uncomfortable.)

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  by Dr_Dredd on December 5th, 2008

• "...anything Christian- or German-oriented sends them into a PTSD attack."
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  I think I thoroughly understand that. :(
  The rationale for the cross on the seal was that it represented the missions that were established here in the 18th(?) century.
  I'm sure the Native American people whose civilizations were destroyed by European xtian invaders feel the same way.

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  by Brian on December 5th, 2008

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• This is incorrect. There are advisories as to how the U.S. and state flags should be treated, but no laws. All such laws have been overturned on 1st Amendment grounds.

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  by OhLook - IamNoLongerAnonymous on February 19th, 2009

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• this is a very odd answer, but it makes me think.

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  by Knock on February 13th, 2009

• Evolve? How is displaying Nazi ideology "evolving"?
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  Why should Nazi rights be respected? I am truly interested.
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  You would have to kill me rather than have me do this. I lost part of my family to Hitler's gas chambers (no I am not a Jew).

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  by Arisztid on February 19th, 2009

• Tell that to the ones who lost family to the Nazis. Or the elderly that suffered at their hands. A Nazi flag is not the flag of a country. It is a flag of hate or superiority. There is no valid reason to fly it, unless you are supporting what the Nazis did and believed in. Unlike the Confederate flag, which was NOT flown only by people that believed in slavery, the Nazi flag has no reason for existing.

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  by Keysha on February 19th, 2009

• I am unceasingly amazed by the facility with which so many people completely miss the point. Oh well ....

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  by Anonymous T. Jackson on February 19th, 2009

• Anonymous T. Jackson: You have to realize that you are talking to a breed of people who are quick to proclaim "I will do as I please as that is my right," but then condemn anyone who "does as they please, as that is their right." It is hypocrisy in its purist form.

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  by OhLook - IamNoLongerAnonymous on February 19th, 2009

• What is your point, Anonymous T Jackson? If I am missing something, I am open to having my perspective changed.

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  by Arisztid on February 20th, 2009

• Put the concept "hang a Nazi flag" in a black box that reads "Freedom Guaranteed by the Bill of Rights".
  
  Are you going to take that box away?
  
  There is presently a discussion about freedom of speech going on in this country.
  
  Some people want you to believe that there is such a thing as "HATE SPEECH" which should not be protected by the Bill of Rights.
  
  This is nonsense.
  
  If the framers of the Constitution had intended that the Bill of Rights protect only "Socially and Politically Correct Pretty Speech" then freedom of speech wouldn't need protection at all, would it?
  
  The instant question translates to: "Are you willing to defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic?"
  
  Nothing more. Nothing less. Pure and simple.
  
  Are you?
  
  Surprisingly, many people are not.
  
  They get distracted by one issue like a bull in the ring distracted by the bullfighters red flag. These people will be gradually bled to exhaustion and slaughtered with ease - just like the bull.

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  by Anonymous T. Jackson on February 20th, 2009

• You have obviously never been targeted by hate speech. When the speech or actions of a person leads to violence, that person does not have the right to express those views. Period. When you say something that leads others to hurting people, then you are inciting to violence. And hate speech does that.

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  by Keysha on February 20th, 2009

• The Constitution has limited freedom of speech in a few ways: hatespeech is illegal, inciting to violence is illegal, libel is illegal, slander is illegal, defamation is illegal. A lot of what neo-Nazis do falls under hate speech and inciting to violence.
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  I am sorry, there, Anonymous T Jackson, but I have been the target of neo-Nazis and have had the pleasure of their defamation of my property along with the verbal insults.
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  I am not likely to be one who is going to be sympathetic to their freedom of speech. I doubt that anyone who has been their targets is going to be.
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  I know I know that makes me a bad person that I am not going to leap to their defense just because I have been the target of them. My bad. I guess I should be more understanding of their rights and tolerant of their beliefs, which include firing up the gas chambers and finishing the job with myself, my people, the Jews, and many others. And, yes, I happen to know that is part of their beliefs because I am informed by them of this all the time... along with other things.
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  I am such a horrible person!

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  by Arisztid on February 20th, 2009

• "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."
  
  These are rights number ONE.
  
  (What part of NO LAW is unclear to you?)
  
  Exercise your first amendment rights at will.
  
  Really!
  
  You can believe all of this nonsense. Be my guest!
  
  "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."
  
  This is number TWO for a reason.
  
  " ... being necessary to the security of a free State."
  
  How could they foresee this 200+ years ago?
  
  Amazing!

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  by Anonymous T. Jackson on February 20th, 2009

• The right for you to 'free speech' ends where it infringes on my right to live, and do so without injury.

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  by Keysha on February 20th, 2009

• Arisztid: Your analysis of the Constitution has no merit. It is true that the Supreme Court has found certain limitations, but you clearly do not understand those limitations. Hate speech is not illegal, and is the type of speech the founding fathers intended to protect. The Supreme Court has held that hate which raises the risk of “imminent lawless action” is not protected. Similarly, the Supreme Court has found restrictions on “false speech.” Thus, the First Amendment protects my right to defame you, so long as I only do it with the truth.

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  by OhLook - IamNoLongerAnonymous on February 20th, 2009

• Keysha: Have you ever heard the phrase: “sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt you.” You state: “The right for you to 'free speech' ends where it infringes on my right to live, and do so without injury.” That is true, but you can certainly live despite hate speech.
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  Both you and Arisztid simply do not understand the point of the 1st Amendment. It is there for the sole purpose of protecting unpopular speech. Out of curiosity, how does hanging a Nazi flag infringe your “right to live, and do so without injury”?

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  by OhLook - IamNoLongerAnonymous on February 20th, 2009

• If it causes strife, and that strife spills over into fights, that could, indeed, cause injury to me, if it happens where I am at.
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  And who says that injury has to be physical? Arisztid is a Gypsy. His people were the target of Nazi genocide. The pain he would feel at seeing someone happily flying that flag, is just as bad as a physical hurt.
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  You may not like it, but it is a fact. We live in a melting pot of people. And when you do, you make concessions. Why is it the ones that hate most are the ones that demand the most concessions? If you do something that hurts another, you should be made to stop. And before you spout 'sticks and stones', think about verbal abuse. It does exist. And it does damage.

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  by Keysha on February 20th, 2009

• The ideology behind that flag has resulted in me scrubbing (or painting over) swastikas off of my garage, side of the house, etc, having to look behind my back for attack which is a good possibility if I live somewhere I get the swastikas. Luckily I have only been attacked racially once. I do not know if the other vandalism I get in those places is by neo Nazis but I would think it is a good bet.
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  Now you are going to say that the Zyklon B stuff and being told that Hitler would have been a hero for killing all of us and how concentration camps should be opened up to finish the job. Ok, sticks and stones. Actually, by now, I do find it a bit amusing. They really do make themselves look a bit silly.
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  What about the vandalism that comes along with flaunting of the Nazi idiology and physical attacks? I have no clue if the person who attacked me from behind as he said "F*cking Gypsy" was a neo-Nazi or just a miscellaneous idiot, but I know many of my people in America and out of America who have been physically attacked by neo-Nazis. I think it is a pretty good guess that it was neo Nazi related because that was one of the places with the swastikas.
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  That is not sticks and stones.

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  by Arisztid on February 20th, 2009

• Considering my real life experience with attack and vandalism, why would I not look at someone flying the Nazi flag and expect more of the same? Oh I forgot the hate mail in my snail mailbox (not email... my physical mailbox) and death threats.

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  by Arisztid on February 20th, 2009

• Keysha: In that case all speech should be banned. Fights are caused by political speech all the time, so we should ban political speech. Fights regularly erupted during the civil rights movement, so that speech should be banned too. Speech about abortion or banning prayer in schools causes fights, so we should end all that speech too, right? There are very few issues in which everyone agrees, which means all speech causes strife at some point. So where should we draw that line?
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  You ask: “And who says that injury has to be physical?” Well, the Supreme Court. Again, the Constitution protects freedom of speech. And again, the sole purpose of that clause is to protect unpopular speech. If we did not have that right, the civil rights movement would have never occurred. Or did you forget that “equal rights to all races” was once unpopular speech?

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  by OhLook - IamNoLongerAnonymous on February 20th, 2009

• Arisztid may feel pain when he sees a Nazi flag, just as an Arian Nation member may feel pain seeing illegal immigrants protesting in the streets of Washington demanding more rights, or a Neo-Nazi may feel pain at Arisztid denouncing his 1st Amendment right. This is both the advantage and disadvantage of living in a free country.
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  You state: “You may not like it, but it is a fact. We live in a melting pot of people. And when you do, you make concessions.” I agree, but you need to follow your own wisdom. Living among a diverse community means you will live with diverse viewpoints.

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  by OhLook - IamNoLongerAnonymous on February 20th, 2009

• Arisztid: What you describe are a series of illegal acts. The operative word being “acts.” We do not punish thought and ideas in America. Again, doing so would have prevented the end of slavery, the civil rights movement, gender equality & abortion rights, and nearly every other cause fought for in America. An ideology did not damage your house. A person who had an ideology damages your house.
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  You write: “Now you are going to say that the Zyklon B stuff and being told that Hitler would have been a hero for killing all of us and how concentration camps should be opened up to finish the job.” It is nice that you openly admit that you are closed minded, but why would I say any of this?

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  by OhLook - IamNoLongerAnonymous on February 20th, 2009

• You ask: “What about the vandalism that comes along with flaunting of the Nazi idiology [sic] and physical attacks?” And what about the vandalism and attacks that came along with opposing Barack Obama or George Bush? Or the vandalism and attacks that come along with opposing alleged civil rights violations? There is no doubt that some people go beyond mere speech, and cross over into violence. But this is true for all speech.
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  And it should be noted that censoring speech does not destroy the ideology. In France and Germany it is illegal to possess Nazi regalia. Yet, both countries have a strong Neo-Nazi party today. Free speech is what allows change to occur. Moreover, it allows the suppression of hate. If we did not have free speech, white supremacists would still vandalize and attack. We just would not know who the attacker was.

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  by OhLook - IamNoLongerAnonymous on February 20th, 2009

• Let's bring this back on track and focus a little bit...specifically the question at hand as posed by the one who posted the question.
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  There is no Federal law prohibiting flags. However, several States DO have such laws. Here is a site which covers some of those States:
  http://flagspot.net/flags/us-law.html
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  Now, the use of ANY symbol, speech, writing, or other form of communication to incite civil unrest is NOT legal.
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  What does this mean with respect to the Nazi flag? It simply means one cannot fly it with the intent and purpose of causing, say, a riot or to place someone in reasonable fear for their life, for example. Flying one outside one's home may not constitute such an intent. Flying them in peaceful demonstrations has also been supported by law as well. Gathering on someone's lawn in agitating groups and yelling obscenities is illegal. Acts of vandalism with the flag are likewise illegal for the same reason.

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  by The Chief on February 20th, 2009

• Personally, I find the display of the Nazi flag to be extremely distasteful, to say the least. This is so simply because it is a very powerful symbol of the Nazi philosophy prevelant throughout Nazi Germany from the 1930's to the end of WWII.
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  A quote from the above site: "Technically, the Nazi flag is not banned here as in Germany, and many people believe that to ignore the manifestation of symbols is better than suppressing them. This is not to say that the evil of the philosophy should be ignored, or the revision of history many here would like to practice." (Jahvah, 28 September 1995)
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  As a retired Naval Chief Petty Officer, you can bet your *ss I have a rather thorough grasp of the concepts of rights and freedoms and what they mean. More so than the average civilian, I dare say. Yes, I would be upset if I had a neighbor displaying the Nazi flag. I agree that he may peacefully do so if he wishes. But at the first sign that he is intentionally and maliciously going beyond simply displaying the flag and performing acts of intimidation or threats...stand by. I will NOT condone that kind of behavior.
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  'nuff said.

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  by The Chief on February 20th, 2009

• I actually do not feel pain when I see a Nazi flag... just a deep seated revulsion.
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  I also know that I am likely to face problems when I see it or learn of a neo-Nazi group in my area if they know about me. I know, for a cast iron clad fact, that neo-Nazi ideology does not stop at slurs and slurs is not where it stops.
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  I have said that I can deal with slurs which is true.
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  However, is it right that our children have to put up with this at school, on the streets, and more? It is not just done to the adults. Was it right that my father and I had to put up with slurs, harassment, and vandalism when I was a schoolboy? It happens to this day. Sticks and stones for words, yes, but what about children? That is what accompanies that scrap of fabric.
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  Myself, I could not care less what flag someone flies as long as it is not accompanied by harassment but the Nazi flag is usually accompanied by harassment.

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  by Arisztid on February 20th, 2009

• I do not denounce their First Amendment rights even when they say that I should be sent to the gas chambers and worse. I am an adult and it got boring decades ago. However, I DO object to it when they say these things to our children. Should they have the rights to say these things to our children, OhLook? Trust me... they do. They do not wait until we are 18 to start this you know. I do not have any children but I routinely see on our boards the results of neo-Nazi and white supremacist insults, vandalism, and attacks on our children.
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  Is that right?

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  by Arisztid on February 20th, 2009

• You ask: “Should they have the rights to say these things to our children?” Most definitely! Censoring and sheltering children only breeds ignorant children. You fight speech with speech. But again, you are missing the point. And you are blurring the important distinction between acts and speech.
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  You state: “I also know that I am likely to face problems when I see it or learn of a neo-Nazi group in my area if they know about me.” So let me ask you this: would you rather know about the threat or not know about it? That is what we are talking about. If you ban flags and other speech, that is not going to get rid of the ideology. Suppressing speech only increases violence. When people feel they are being censored, they act out in more extreme ways to get their point across. Again, it is not the words that harm you.

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  by OhLook - IamNoLongerAnonymous on February 20th, 2009

• well... this reminds me. I live in Canada, and one of niebhors across/ beside us across from the street. he has a Nazi sign, im not affended, but i thought it was pretty cool. Its not a flag (poster or a cloth) but it was on the wall, Its not hurting anyone with a nazi flage and your not doing any harm to anyone, i think it is just fine

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  by Jaheira2016 on June 17th, 2010

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• is it really considered close minded not to support a Nazi flag?

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  by UneFille on December 10th, 2008

• Absolutely not.What is close minded is when people condemn other people for the way they choose to express them selves.As long as they are not physically hurting another person,their rights should be respected,no matter how "stupid" it may seem to you and I.

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  by scttfssll on December 10th, 2008

• Yes. I guess that is how the U.S is founded. But I suppose it's still hard for some people to endure as it can be a bit intimidating. It could almost be construed as psychological harassment.

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  by UneFille on December 10th, 2008

• You are very right. There are always two sides to a story.It is always interesting to see how people veiw what is right and wrong.I think another thing that is interesting is how this Flag infuriates so many people when in reality it has no bearing on our day to day lives.I think the holocoust was horrible but it does not affect me in my day to day life.

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  by scttfssll on December 10th, 2008

• I think that it symbolizes the presence of a sentiment and memory that terrorizes people. It doesn't take much. The sign of hatred in any form can be abusive.

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  by UneFille on December 10th, 2008

• And it does affect on in day to day life. Though you may not know it. Psychologically, the reminder of such an event will affect you.

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  by UneFille on December 10th, 2008

• These people directly affect some of our lives and it is not just memory.
  
  http://www.answerbag.com/a_view/9455056

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  by Arisztid on July 31st, 2010

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• I've never noticed this before, but a heavilly-toilet-papered tree looks a lot like a fuzzy green jellyfish. Hmm, Really makes you think...

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  by jaykole on February 14th, 2011

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• correct!And that's the way it should be!

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  by Knock on February 13th, 2009

• That doesn't, however, prevent a WWII veteran from rolling it up in a ball and stuffing it up his azz! LMAO!

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  by CaptainHarley adores his life penguin on February 13th, 2009

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• yeah,that would eliminate doubt.

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  by pedal junky on September 4th, 2009

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• lol wow you tried it?!

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  by Mackinzee on September 4th, 2009

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• Lol =)

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  by Joy to the world on February 25th, 2009

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• I would speak: @##%%^&*!@@!

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  by Knock on February 13th, 2009

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• Hitler got the simble somewhere else, and it didnt mean anything bad, but only wish i rememberd where he got the simble from :/

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  by Jaheira2016 on June 17th, 2010

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• yes why?

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  by Knock on February 13th, 2009

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• Jumping the ass would be my vote.

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  by Knock on February 13th, 2009

• lol i feel the same but i know when that happens it only makes them angrier, hate more, and become even more miss informed....
  unless they get beat by a bunch of built pure Caucasian American men who arent racist assholes
  then maybe they'll learn to be more empathetic

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  by Kierafaye on February 13th, 2009

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• rah, rah!

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  by Knock on February 13th, 2009

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• You hope someone commits a malicious and illegal act in response to a completely legal action?

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  by raindancer on March 3rd, 2009

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• I know the way.

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  by Knock on February 13th, 2009

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• Actually there is a Nazi flag, it just has a Swastika in it. The Nazi flag is not only the Swastika but the red bordering around it.

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  by Romulux on July 16th, 2010

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