I suppose the issue here is that Apple sees apps and games as abstract consumer goods, like toys or kitchen gadgets. In which context, they might see dropping these war sim games as no different from, say, Etsy dropping confederate flag t-shirts. After all, why should anyone want an app with the objectionable images? There are dozens of others without them; surely they'll do instead.

Of course if one considers games to be media content analogous to books or movies (or dare I say it, Art), such a view seems insane. Then again, one doesn't normally hear about curated gardens erring on the side of free expression, so maybe it's exactly what we should expect.

The problem is Apple specifically states that they don't view apps as books or movies. I don't have the exact context, but I saw it on here yesterday so maybe someone else does?

The language is quoted in other comments here. And yeah, I know about that, I was just commenting on the philosophy more than the legal terms.

Agreed. If we had truly put this stuff behind us we would be able to defiantly stare down those symbols; instead Apple has cowered in fear: which is arguably handing a victory to intolerance.

We will have truly won when we can look at those symbols as nothing more than pieces of history: no emotion either positive or negative would be derived. We have won when we are so far removed from what those symbols mean that we simply cannot comprehend them.

If Apple's actions are anything to go by, that war never actually ended. These problems need to be faced, not made as though they don't exist.

Mentioning a thing and celebrating/embracing a thing are 2 different things.

Very few people/groups use Nazi flags for themselves anymore.

You can also use a symbol in modified form against the group using it.

For example by crossing it out, for example, or by using it in a caricature where one compares it with trash.

This symbol https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c2/Anti-Naz... obviously contains a swastika, but is obviously legal even under current German law, as it does not encourage Nazism

If only it was so obvious. There was a case in 2006 I remembered were it apparently wasn't quite so for some people, http://www.dw.com/en/german-company-fined-for-selling-anti-n..., don't know if something similar came up again more recently.

The case you linked has been reversed by a higher court, though. And a German federal politician who was involved in that suggested a change in the law, but the government was against it.

Yeah, these days it's primarily usa-based white power groups.