(JTA) — A Russian court fined a man for having a swastika tattoo and ordered it removed.
In ordering the removal, the Novgorod court cited a rarely applied law that prohibits the public display of Nazi symbols, according to the UCSJ: Union of Councils for Jews in the Former Soviet Union. UCSJ cited a report published Monday by the Sova Information-Analytical Center.
The fine of 1,000 rubles is equal to about $32.
The judge justified the decision by pointing out in the verdict that the tattoo is on the defendant’s right hand and therefore is "visible to people around him."
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