I refer to the recent article on the so-called 'art group' Zuni Icosahedron and the actions of its director Danny Yung to attempt to import Nazi swastika symbols into Germany as part of The Festival Of Vision, Hong Kong-Berlin. It should be remembered that Yung was not bringing in one or two swastikas, he was bringing in 2,000 and each of these was a metre high. This action should be condemned in the strongest moral terms possible.
The Nazi swastika is repulsive to many people around the world. It was used to represent the alleged racial superiority of the Aryan race over all others. It was the symbol of a party that undertook the most systematic and evil genocide in history. It is offensive to the relatives and survivors of the Nazi gas chambers and concentration camps. It is offensive to the relatives and survivors of the brutal Nazi occupations and it is offensive to the relatives and survivors of the brave soldiers who resisted, repelled and finally liberated Europe from the tyrannies of Adolf Hitler.
Yung claims that he was importing the swastikas to show that there is a difference in cultural understanding of the symbol as it is similar to a religious symbol in certain parts of Asia.
While I support freedom of expression, there is no excuse for Yung's attempt to use the symbol of Nazism in Germany and pass it off as art. According to the article, he was doing this with the full knowledge of its symbolism and what it stood for.
As a taxpayer and Hong Kong resident, I seek assurances from Yung and the relevant government agencies that taxpayers' money was not used in any way to transport these swastikas from Hong Kong to Germany.
SIMON PATKIN