Official faces 'Sieg Heil' row

Nazi symbols are forbidden by German law

FRANKFURT, Germany -- A German town official who was suspended for using the words "Sieg" and "Heil" in a Christmas card has said he had not intended to invoke the Nazi battlecry.

Johannes Greve, head of public works in Lennestadt, a small town in western Germany, started off his card with the standard "Merry Christmas" and ended by wishing everyone lots of "Sieg" and "Heil" for the new year.

Greve, who is fighting the mayor's efforts to fire him, said on Monday he used "Heil" in wishing friends and colleagues "well being," and the term "Sieg" merely meant he was wishing them "victory" and success at work in the new year.

"That was...a well-intended greeting for my fellow workers that I would never have used publicly because I know such things can be easily misinterpreted," Greve said.

Mayor Alfons Heimes suspended Greve, 53, and said he would recommend dismissing the public works director.

"That is the toughest measure I can recommend. The use of these terms has no place here," Heimes added.

Germany has strict laws forbidding the use of Nazi slogans and salutes. Terms such as "Sieg," "Heil" and "Fuehrer" are not formally outlawed but nevertheless avoided by most Germans, especially public servants and opinion leaders.

The case highlights Germany's sensitivity to its Nazi-era past which has been heightened by a spate of far-right attacks on foreigners over the past year.

Lennestadt
Republic of Germany

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