A picture made available on 22 June 2014 shows Indonesian men wearing recreated historical World War II Nazi-German soldier uniforms during the re-opening of the Soldatenkaffee cafe in Bandung, Indonesia, 21 June 2014. EPA
A picture made available on 22 June 2014 shows Indonesian men wearing recreated historical World War II Nazi-German soldier uniforms during the re-opening of the Soldatenkaffee cafe in Bandung, Indonesia, 21 June 2014. The Nazi-themed cafe has sparked controversy among Indonesians after its re-opening as it closed last year due to death threats to its owner. The cafe, which displays swastikas and portraits of Adolf Hitler, has been named after a Paris' popular cafe among German soldiers during World War II. The manager of the cafe stated that all the aspects of the business are legal because it is seen from a historical perspective, without supporting or carrying a particular ideology. EPA/STR
Java, Indonesia - A year after it closed amid death threats and widespread outrage from the international community, a Nazi-themed cafe has reopened in the western Indonesian island of Java, replete with decorative swastikas and a portrait of Adolph Hitler.
AFP (http://bit.ly/1qBNTbn) reports that after the SoldatenKaffee closed last year an attorney for its owner, Henry Mulyana, said that Mulyana planned a relaunch with a different theme.
The German translation of SoldatenKaffee is “The Soldier’s Cafe.”
Sources say at Saturday’s relaunch SoldatenKaffee patrons saw much of the same, including swastika-emboldened Nazi iron eagles and an array of Nazi propaganda posters.
Mulyana told reporters that the theme of his cafe has in fact been updated, and that it is now WWII-themed eatery due to the addition of pictures of Winston Churchill and Josef Stalin.
“From the beginning I have said that the SoldatenKaffee is not a Nazi cafe. This cafe’s theme is second world war,” Mulyana said. “All aspects of the SoldatenKaffee are legal. We have a lot of customers from Europe and they don’t have a problem with the second world war theme, because it is seen here from a historical perspective.”
