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First They Came For The Smokers
It's no-smoking time in Europe. However, many German pubs and restaurants have resisted strongly the new ban on smoking which came into effect, technically, on 1 January.
Because Germany is a federal nation, the states within the federation have wide-ranging constitutional powers to circumvent decrees from Berlin or Brussels.
At least six states say they will institute a six-month "grace period". (In other words they will not enforce no-smoking restrictions).
The sensitivity of the issue has prompted many authorities to allow "special rooms" to be set up purely for smokers.
The reason behind these measures is not exactly fear of loss of potential revenue. It is fear of something else. The reason is a resonance of very bad memories.
It is because the last crackdown on smoking was ordered by a certain Herr Adolf Hitler.
If the Gestapo caught you having a fag outside the Reichstag in 1939, you may as well sign your own death warrant.
