Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - July 19, 2015, Winnipeg, Manitoba C M Y K PAGE A6 A 6 WINNIPEG FREE PRESS, SUNDAY, JULY 19, 2015 WORLD winnipegfreepress. com B ERLIN - A divided Germany rose from the ashes of the Nazi defeat, weathering the Cold War to transform into one of the good guys. Modern Germany quickly moulded itself into the standard- bearer of global pacifism, a hotbed of youth culture and the tree- hugging Lorax of nations in the fight against climate change. But, just like that, the image of the " cruel German" is back. Germany - more specifically, its chancellor, Angela Merkel - has faced years of derision for driving a hard bargain with financially broken Greece, which has received billions in bailouts since 2010. But for both Germany and Merkel, the pound of flesh extracted this week to open fresh rescue talks with Athens appears to have struck a global nerve. By insisting on years more of tough cuts and making other demands critics have billed as humiliating, Berlin is wiping out decades of hard- won goodwill. In the aftermath of the deal, the hashtag # Boycottgermany - calling on users not to buy German products - has started trending on Twitter. Referencing Hannibal Lecter, the cannibal killer from Silence of the Lambs , Europeans are sharing caricatures depicting Merkel as a Greece- eating " Angela Lecter." A cartoon depicting Wolfgang Sch�uble - Merkel's hardline finance minister - as a knife- wielding executioner from the Islamic State has gone viral. Germany was one of more than a dozen nations that insisted on a tough deal with Greece. But Britain's Daily Mail singled out Germany, saying Greece had surrendered to austerity " with a German gun at his head." In the United States, New York Times columnist Paul Krugman last week noted the hate mail he had received from Germany for repeatedly criticizing its tough line on fiscal reforms. The Germans, he wrote, had suggested that as a Jew, he should know " the dangers of demonizing a people." To that, Krugman sarcastically responded: " Because criticizing a nation's economic ideology is just like declaring its people subhuman." In Greece, those actively supporting the austerity deal are being heckled by their countrymen as " Nazi collaborators." Another image making the rounds on social media shows a doctored version of the European Union flag, its circle of gold stars against a blue background reshaped into a swastika. France's Le Figaro declared " conditions were imposed on a small member state that would have previously required arms." In a commentary that sneered at Merkel's " half- smile" after humiliating the Greeks, Britain's Guardian argued rather than being cruel to be kind, the deal was simply " cruel to be cruel." In its online edition, even Germany's own Der Spiegel decried the Berlin- led demands as " the catalogue of cruelties." In a country that can be highly sensitive about its brutal past, some Germans are beside themselves. " Merkel, Sch�uble and ( Vice- Chancellor Sigmar) Gabriel in 2 � days burnt the trust that had been built over 25 years," Reinhard B�tikofer, a German politician from the Green Party, declared during a highly emotional outburst on local television. " The heartless, dictatorial and ugly Germany again has a face, and that is Sch�uble." He finished by saying, " I am upset, as you can see, very upset." But much of this nation seems to be taking the latest round of German- bashing in stride. Indeed, many here see it as simply further evidence no matter what they do, theirs is always going to be the country that others love to hate. This is a nation where rules will not be broken, where pedestrians wait for a green signal at empty intersections before they walk. And that is the way the Germans like it. That mindset, many here insist, has helped Germany rebuild into an efficient, competitive and modern economy that is the envy of all Europe today. As the largest economy and de facto leader of the 19- member eurozone, many here believe its rules must be respected. They find it disturbing, even insulting, some would equate German calls for fiscal restraint with the inhumanity of the Nazis. If some Germans have chided Merkel and Sch�uble, even more have expressed support. " Now we are saying No," declared the conservative German tabloid Bild , referencing the recent Greek referendum on austerity. One German user on Twitter dared the rest of the world to boycott German products: " Go ahead. Boycott all German goods. Cars, aspirin, beer, chip cards, printed media and antibiotics. Have fun." Some here submit Germany's firm stance on Greek debt will actually work in its favour. Christian Rieck, a professor of economic theory at the Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences, said the tough posture will help because it shows Germany's " ability to follow through." And, perhaps most important for the chancellor, Merkel is getting pats on the back from German voters. Walter Dombrovski, a 51- year old graphic designer in Berlin, said, " We have to stay tough." " There are rules," he said. " Nobody pays any taxes in Greece. Not just the rich, also the little people don't pay taxes. And they carry a bundle of cash in their pocket at all times. Corruption is a part of everyday life there." But others here believe Germany is being shortsighted and heading down a dangerous path of disunity with the rest of the continent. Martin Glaser, a 51- year- old Berliner who works in public relations, said, " I think it is a scandal. To humiliate a country in this way is not acceptable." " Even though the polls show that there is widespread support for Merkel and Sch�uble, I think that many Germans would say that they don't want this kind of Europe," he said. " A Europe which is ruled by Germany in this way is not the democratic Europe that I would like to have." - Washington Post By Anthony Faiola and Stephanie Kirchner Tough treatment of Greece strikes global nerve Germany's reputation for ruthlessness REVIVED ' A Europe which is ruled by Germany in this way is not the democratic Europe that I would like to have' - Martin Glaser, a 51- year- old Berliner LEFTERIS PITARAKIS / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS FILES A Greek man holds a poster with a picture of German Chancellor Angela Merkel wearing a swastika in Athens. LONDON - Buckingham Palace expressed its disappointment Saturday with a tabloid newspaper for publishing images of a young Queen Elizabeth II performing a Nazi salute with her family in 1933, the year Adolf Hitler came to power. The palace took the unusual step of commenting on the report in the Sun newspaper, which shows the Queen - then about seven years old - at the family home in Balmoral, with her uncle Edward, mother and sister. The grainy film footage also shows Elizabeth's mother making the salute as the family laughs. " It is disappointing that film, shot eight decades ago and apparently from Her Majesty's personal family archive, has been obtained and exploited in this manner," the palace said. The images, posted in the newspaper under the headline Their Royal Heilnesses , shows the young girls prancing on the grass. A dog runs underfoot. The girls jump up and down. Military historian James Holland told the Sun the royals were joking. " I don't think there was a child in Britain in the 1930s or ' 40s who has not performed a mock Nazi salute as a bit of a lark," he was quoted as saying. The Queen's former press secretary, Dickie Arbiter, said the royals would be relaxed about the release of the film given the context in which it was shot - and given that the monarch's parents took a fierce anti- Nazi stand during the Second World War. But he said they would be angry about how the newspaper obtained what is essentially a home movie. He noted the true extent of Nazism's evils became known only later. The Sun 's managing editor, Stig Abell, said the footage was obtained legitimately. He told the BBC the story was " not a criticism of the Queen or the Queen Mum." - The Associated Press By Danica Kirka Tabloid publishes old photograph of future queen giving Nazi salute TIM IRELAND / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Papers in London Saturday with photos of the royals giving a Nazi salute. COLUMBIA, S. C. - Hundreds of people taunted each other on the grounds of the South Carolina Statehouse during separate rallies Saturday staged by two groups from outside the state. Black Educators for Justice, based in Jacksonville, Fla., held its rally Saturday on the north side of the Statehouse, where the Confederate flag was removed earlier this month. Later, the North Carolina- based Loyal White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan held a rally on the opposite side of the building to protest the flag's removal. The S. C. Department of Public Safety estimated the crowd at approximately 2,000. Spokeswoman Sherri Iacobelli said five people were arrested and 23 people needed medical attention. A statement from Richland County Emergency Service said many of the 23 were treated for heat, but no specific number was given. Several people carried the Confederate flag along the margin of the crowd at the black educators rally. About 40 members of the KKK marched up the Capitol steps and waved flags. Many in the crowd jeered. Two men who were involved in a scuffle were led away by police. During the rallies, Leroy Smith, director of the S. C. Department of Public Safety and who is black, was seen helping a white man wearing a T- shirt bearing a swastika get out of the heat. Gov. Nikki Haley earlier in the week urged residents to avoid the KKK rally, adding doing so would honour the nine people shot and killed at a predominantly black church in Charleston last month. - The Associated Press ATHENS, Greece - Greek banks are reopening Monday after a forced three- week closure, but restrictions on cash withdrawals will remain. In a decree Saturday, the Greek government kept the daily cash withdrawal limit at US$ 65 but added a weekly limit. For example, a depositor who doesn't withdraw cash on Monday can withdraw $ US130 on Tuesday, and so on, up to US$ 455 a week. Bank customers will still not be able to cash cheques, only deposit them into their accounts, and will not be able to get cash abroad with their credit or cash cards, only make purchases. There are also restrictions on opening new accounts or activating dormant ones. The decree also pushes back by a month, to Aug. 26, the deadline for filing income tax returns. The degree came on the same day as Greece's coalition government swore in its new, reshuffled cabinet. Five prominent dissidents from the radical- left Syriza party, the senior coalition party, were replaced. Four of them had voted against an agreement with Greece's creditors Thursday, and the fifth had resigned before the vote. Greece closed its banks beginning June 29 to prevent a bank run after the European Central Bank did not increase emergency funding as Greece's second bailout expired. After the Greek parliament passed an agreement Thursday to seek a third bailout and related austerity measures demanded by creditors, the ECB raised its emergency funding to the cash- strapped Greek banks. On Friday, German lawmakers voted 439- 119 in favour of opening discussions on Greece's third bailout, and the EU decided to release a short- term loan of US$ 7.75 billion to help Greece pay back a loan due Monday to the ECB. - The Associated Press Greek banks to reopen, with limits Ill will at rallies over flag flap A_ 06_ Jul- 19- 15_ FP_ 01. indd A6 7/ 19/ 15 12: 07: 09 AM ;