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Illusione under attack

I guess I'm a Neo-Nazi too... you know because I live in Germany and speak German :rolleyes:

His packaging (or at least the "88" and "mk") would almost certainly be not exportable to Germany. Where few people on CP see the parallel between the graphic identity and Nazi iconography, the German authorities are 99% sure to see it a different way.

The explanation (link), which I find believable if a little nutty, is irrelevant - perhaps a good lesson in the law of unintended consequences.

I don't think the Germans would have a problem with either product. 88 and MK have NO significance in normal German life.

MK stands for "Product Name" in German and is taken from the English word "Mark"

88 is known as a Neo-Nazi greeting, but is also used by the German Army as its telephone prefix.
 
88 is known as a Neo-Nazi greeting, but is also used by the German Army as its telephone prefix.

Suffice to say that you know that it's a neo-Nazi greeting, I know that it's a neo-Nazi greeting, and a lot of other people know it's a neo-Nazi greeting. I'm willing to give Dion the benefit of the doubt here, not least because it would be commercial suicide for him to do so. He seems like quite a character, but he runs a successful business too.

Whether these would be outright illegal under the German penal code is an open question. I looked up section 86a out of interest just now, and both graphic and textual symbols are banned. So it's certainly possible. Suffice to say that they're likely not in high demand from the retail tobacconist market.

If you'd like to go through back channels to get a few, I'm sure that anyone on CP, including myself, would be glad to help you out.
 
That crackpot must have been off his meds when he wrote that drivel.
 
Wow, that's really all I have to say, that and, well what did you expect from a crappy journalist, Thanks for taking the time to clarify here Dion!
 
88 is known as a Neo-Nazi greeting, but is also used by the German Army as its telephone prefix.

Suffice to say that you know that it's a neo-Nazi greeting, I know that it's a neo-Nazi greeting, and a lot of other people know it's a neo-Nazi greeting. I'm willing to give Dion the benefit of the doubt here, not least because it would be commercial suicide for him to do so. He seems like quite a character, but he runs a successful business too.

Whether these would be outright illegal under the German penal code is an open question. I looked up section 86a out of interest just now, and both graphic and textual symbols are banned. So it's certainly possible. Suffice to say that they're likely not in high demand from the retail tobacconist market.

If you'd like to go through back channels to get a few, I'm sure that anyone on CP, including myself, would be glad to help you out.

Both 88 and MK do not fall under § 86a "Verwenden von Kennzeichen verfassungswidriger Organisationen." Only the Hakenkreuz and SS runes. They are also not covered by "Zum Verwechseln ähnliche Kennzeichen" Abs. 2 S. 2

*edit* Here is a pdf with almost all the verboten und strafbar verfassungswidriger symbols in Germany...

http://www.polizei.hessen.de/internetzentr...5b-28e46ce02000
 
This Arzt guy has some sort of relationship with United Tobacco. He also started a shop in FL, which now seems to have folded, with some sort of financial involvement with the Reyes family. His friendly relationship with Pepin seems to be fairly strong. I suspect this hit piece was done out of desire to malign a competitor out of his own interests, either financial or a misguided sense of loyalty (totally my opinion). It wasn't to long ago he attacked Ernesto Padilla and drug the man's father into it as well over on CF. Something don't smell right. A real class act...

Edit: Dion, it looks like you had a word for Arzt (he didn't disclose his name at the time) back during the dust up with Pepin and Padilla. Maybe the guy is carrying a grudge ;) . He posted under the name "Taipan5255" and the relevant thread is http://lounge.cigarfamily.com/showthread.p...644#post3012644

This ain't his first ride in the turd rodeo.
 
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