Java, Indonesia - One Year After Closing Amid Controversy, Nazi-Themed Cafe Reopens In Indonesia

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.”

At Last Indonesia Has Its Very Own Nazi-Theme Café "I have a right to design my restaurant with anything that attracts people to come."

The Soldaten Kaffee wait staff dresses in SS and can be seen posing in front of the cafe on its Facebook page.
Photo Credit: Facebook

Authorities in the West Java provincial capital of Bandung, one of Indonesia’s tourist destination cities, will be questioning the owner of Soldaten Kaffee over his reasons for opening a Nazi-theme café, AP reported.

The new café includes a wall of Nazi-era memorabilia, including the large swastika flag and giant portrait of Adolf Hitler, without which you can’t really call yourself a Nazi theme café.

The wait staff dresses in SS, or Schutzstaffel military uniforms, and can be seen posing in front of the cafe on its Facebook page.

The cafe has been in business since April 2011, but it took a recent article in a local English-language newspaper, which resulted in angry responses from both foreign tourists and Indonesians, the get the local government interested.

Bandung Deputy Mayor Ayi Vivananda sent a letter Thursday summoning Soldaten Kaffee owner Henry Mulyana to a meeting to discuss whether he could be charged with inciting racial hatred.

“Those symbols are internationally recognized to represent violence and racism,” Vivananda told the AP.

Mulyana denied being a Nazi sympathizer or a fan of Adolf Hitler. “I’m just a businessman, not a politician,” he argued. “I have a right to design my restaurant with anything that attracts people to come. I’m sure that I’m not violating any laws.’’

For the time being, Mulyana has shut down his business, and he might consider a different theme, possibly less controversial. He may also be looking for new workers, because he may have to let his staff go.

It isn’t clear if they returned the SS uniform when the whole thing ended. Which is something one wonders about the actual SS men as well.