Hitler salute (Hitlergruß, Deutschgruß)
Arm extended horizontally, palm down - Nazi salute codified as a hate crime in several European countries, possible historical confusion with military salute.
Meaning
Target direction : Allegiance to Nazism, symbolic violent extremism, hate crime in European countries.
Interpreted meaning : Possible confusion with standard military salute (see e0051). Serious risk of legal interpretation in France, Germany and Belgium. Critical context.
Geography of misunderstanding
Offensive
- france
- belgium
- germany
- austria
- poland
Not documented
- peuples-autochtones
1. The gesture and its expected meaning
Right arm stretched out horizontally in front, palm down, fingers spread, body slightly stiff. Official Nazi salute (Hitlergruß / Deutschgruß - "German greeting") NSDAP regime 1933-1945.
Meaning: allegiance to Nazism, recognition of totalitarian authority, fascist ideological affiliation. Formally used in military, ceremonial and mass rallying contexts for the Nazi regime.
2. Where it goes wrong: geography of misunderstanding
Germany: legally FORBIDDEN post-1945. German Penal Code section 86, 86a prohibits reproduction/use of Nazi symbols (including Hitlergruß). Limited exceptions: historical/educational contexts with clear documentation.
France, Belgium: legally prohibited by hate crimes case law (Pleven articles, anti-racism laws). Italy, Austria, Poland: prohibited or severely restricted.
Possible minor confusion with standard military salute (e0051) in performative/cinematic contexts, but political charge is unambiguous post-1945.
3. Historical genesis
Adopted NSDAP ~1926 under Weimar, formally codified Nazi regime 1933-1945 as compulsory state salute. Distributed internationally via Nuremberg photojournalism, WWII documentaries, Allied military archives.
Post-WWII: universally interpreted as an incompatible symbol of liberal democracy. Legal evolution: forbidden status/progressive hate crime in European countries 1945-2000.
Kendon (2004) notes possible confusion with standard military salute in blurred visual contexts, but politico-legal interpretation is clear-cut post-1945.
4. famous documented incidents
- Nuremberg Trials 1945-1946 Exhaustive documentation of Hitlergruß in Nazi regime contexts. Archives International Military Tribunal (IMT), Nuremberg. Photographs of Nazi protocol.
- Contemporary legal incidents France/Germany, 1990s-2020s Criminal prosecutions of individuals using gesture publicly (France ~50+ documented cases 2010-2020). Established case law: gesture = incitement to discrimination/hate.
- Movie incident: Inglourious Basterds (2009) Controversy on stage where Nazi character uses Hitlergruß. Debate: cinema documentation vs. glorification. Mixed reception in European countries (temporary ban in some German cinemas).
5. Practical recommendations
- To do: NO use historically/legally. Educational/archival contexts only with explicit documentation (museums, history courses).
- **Never publicly in France, Germany, Belgium, Austria, Italy. Real risk of criminal prosecution.
- Alternatives: none - forbidden gesture, non-substitutable by equivalent neutral gesture without loss of meaning.
Documented incidents
- — Procès Nuremberg : documentation exhaustive Hitlergruß, protocoles nazis, utilisation régime. Archives IMT.
- — Controverse Inglourious Basterds scène Hitlergruß. Débat documentation historique vs. glorification. Interdictions temporaires certains cinémas Allemagne.
Sources
- Evans, R.J. (2005). The Third Reich in Power. Oxford University Press.
- Kendon, A. (2004). Gesture: Visible Action as Utterance. Cambridge University Press.
- International Military Tribunal for the Far East (1945-1946). Nuremberg Trial Proceedings. Archives of the Hoover Institution.
- Der Spiegel (2009). 'Inglourious Basterds' und die Kontroverse um NS-Symbole. — ↗