Conference Notes:

The Controversy both in the UK and across the European continent that has been caused by a photograph on Prince Harry wearing, at a fancy dress party, an armband bearing a Nazi swastika.

The announcement on the 28th January 2005, that Luxembourg which currently holds the presidency of the European Union, is to campaign for the introduction of an EU-wide ban on the use of Nazi symbols.

Calls, on 3rd February 2005, from a number of centre-right MEPs from Western European member states to incorporate within such a ban the soviet "hammer and sickle" logo.

That such a proposal is likely to include other images of totalitarianism, such as the symbols of Italian fascists.

Conference Further Notes:

1. That the fundamental Charter of rights and Freedoms, which is incorporated within the EU constitutional treaty, specifically protects the right to free political expression,
2. That such a right is recognised by the European Convention on Human Rights to which all member states are signatories and which is incorporated within the law of the United Kingdom.

Conference Believes:

1. That the right to free political expression is an inalienable right which applies even to those with extreme and distasteful political opinions.
2. That the fundamental purpose of a liberal democracy is to allow those with different opinions to peacefully express those opinions without fear of recrimination from the state.
3. That the proposed ban on the political symbols thus represents a fundamentally offensive assault on the political freedoms of the citizens of the European Union.
4. That, in the interests of democracy, all European liberals thus have a moral duty to protect the rights to the peaceful freedom of expression of those who disagree with them.

Conference Therefore Resolves:

1. To resolutely oppose the banning of political symbols of any nature across the European Union and throughout the world.
2. To call upon the MEPs of the UK Liberal Democrats, the ELDR Party as a whole, to oppose this ban on political symbols within the European Parliament.
3. To call upon the United Kingdom Government to oppose this ban on political symbols and to exercise its veto on the issue within the EU Council of Ministers.
4. To campaign within the Party, the European Liberal Youth and the ELDR Party in furtherance of these aims.