Valora criticized for Waffen SS magazine
A dubious magazine is available at Swiss railroad stations that aims to polish up the image of the Waffen-SS. Valora and 7 Days Media pass the ball to each other.
According to Schweiz am Sonntag, the publisher behind the magazine with the unsuspicious name "Zeitgeschichte" is the well-known right-wing extremist publisher Dietmar Munier, who already publishes the sister title Deutsche Militärzeitschrift. He took over the title years ago with the intention of reaching people outside the closed circles of his like-minded comrades. This seems to be working, as Zeitgeschichte is available in the "Press & Books" stores at Swiss railroad stations. The "specialist magazine about the Waffen-SS" has set itself the goal of revising the image of the "elite military unit". The magazine paints a consistently positive picture of the unit, which is otherwise mainly known for its war crimes.
When asked by the newspaper Schweiz am Sonntag, kiosk operator Valora states that it wants to offer the widest possible range of publications, but passes the ball on to press distributor 7 Days Media. There, on the other hand, it is stated that they are not authorized to carry out censorship and that every publisher is allowed to bring legal titles to the Valora kiosks via 7 Days Media. The content of contemporary history is legal; there are no explicit Holocaust denials, for example. Managing Director Nicole Mrotzek states, however, that Valora can remove the magazine from its range and that the retailers have the final say. (hae/SaS)
