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Complaints prompt questions about restaurant that has displayed swastikas and Hitler's photo for two years
Authorities in central Indonesia plan to ask a restaurant owner to explain his reasons for opening a Nazi-themed cafe that has sparked controversy among residents and tourists.
Soldatenkaffee includes a red wall of Nazi-related memorabilia, including a large flag with the swastika and a giant picture of Adolf Hitler. Its staff dress in SS uniforms, and can be seen posing in front of the cafe on its Facebook page.
The cafe, in the West Java provincial capital of Bandung, one of Indonesia's main tourist cities, has been open since April 2011. But a recent article in a local English-language newspaper has prompted angry responses from some foreigners and Indonesians on social networking sites.
The deputy mayor of Bandung, Ayi Vivananda, said a letter was sent on Thursday summoning the cafe owner, Henry Mulyana, to meet officials to discuss his motives for opening the cafe and whether his objective was to incite racial hatred.
"Those symbols are internationally recognised to represent violence and racism," Vivananda said.
Mulyana said his objective was not to breed hatred. Instead, he said he wanted to decorate his restaurant with Nazi symbols to attract customers, both local and foreigners.
He denied being pro-Nazi or supporting Hitler.
"I'm just a businessman, not a politician," Mulyana said. "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."
He said the controversy had forced him to temporarily close the restaurant. He declined to say whether he would consider changing the Nazi theme if authorities requested him to do so.
"Let's wait and see," he said. "I don't want the workers here to lose their jobs."
