Bomberman used to promote anti-Nazi violence?

11:00 AM on 05.14.2009   |   Jim Sterling

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A German ex-politician has been charged with invoking violent acts against fascists after producing an anti-Nazi poster with a picture of Bomberman on it. The poster shows Bomberman holding a bomb disguised as a cake, with the lit fuse acting as a candle. It's accompanied by the message: "Kein Zuckerschlecken für Nazis" (roughly translated as "No Cakewalk for Nazis").

On October 24 of last year, a demonstration of Nazis and a demonstration of anti-Nazis took place. As you might have already guessed, the two philosophically opposed sides did not settle their differences with reasonable arguments and well-presented debate. It was a little bit more violent than that, and the authorities are blaming the Bomberman poster. 

That's right. Martin Budich has been charged for using the poster to foster an "aggressive" atmosphere among the anti-Nazi protestors, because of course, without the poster, there would have been no conflict whatsover and they'd all be holding hands and singing with the fascists right now. Budich doesn't even play videogames, and claims he merely wanted to show "the whole spectrum of opposition." Authorites instead have decided that the use of Bomberman encourages protestors to carry concealed weapons in what would otherwise have been a totally peaceful counter-demonstration.

This is the second time Budich has been convicted simply for making a poster. He once used the image of a cartoon character holding a slingshot, which was also encouraging violent acts in the eyes of the law. I hear Germany also wants to arrest everyone who worked on Tom & Jerry cartoons, for earnestly implying that we should all hit cats with anvils.