Critics blast German YouTube content

The new edition is rife with neo-Nazi videos and content that is banned in Germany.

neo nazis 298 ap (photo credit: AP [file])
neo nazis 298 ap
(photo credit: AP [file])
The new German edition of YouTube is rife with neo-Nazi videos and content that is banned in Germany. The popular Web site, which allows members to "publish" their own material free, went online with its German edition on Nov. 8. Observers of the far-right said they have found videos from banned music groups and films that incite rumors about supposed Jewish conspiracies. The Central Council of Jews in Germany is urging the use of filters against right-wing radical content, according to a report in the ZDF German broadcast news website. Stephan Kramer, secretary general of the Central Council, told the Frankfurter Rundschau newspaper that he was "disappointed" that YouTube contained so much neo-Nazi material. He suggested that if filters can block child pornography, they should be able to block other illegal material as well. The Central Council and other nongovernmental organizations have been urging Internet providers to monitor the content of Web sites and remove those with banned material. YouTube, as an American firm, reportedly can only be urged to comply with German law but not forced.