David Wroe, in Berlin for the Daily Telegraph, reports that the Zentralrat der Juden in Deutschland (Central Council of Jews in Germany) supports historians and others who wish for Mein Kampf to be made available for publication within Germany. Read the whole article for details, but the gist is this: the copyright, owned by the State of Bavaria (which has always refused publication), runs out in 2015. Were Bavaria to fail in its legal bid to renew the coyright, the book would become available for anybody to publish. “Anybody” here most especially means right-wing organizations, obscure neo-nazi publishers, etc. They are those most likely to profit as they would no doubt publish special, celebratory editions. The Zentralrat, in addition to some historians, argues that Bavaria — while it still has control — should allow the publication of scholarly editions of the infamous book. Such editions might include, for example, footnotes which rebut some of the original author’s claims.
What do you think? Should publication of the full german-language text of Mein Kampf be allowed in Germany?
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