The German government said on Monday that a law penalizing people for displaying Nazi symbols may need to be changed after a court fined a man for selling anti-Nazi T-shirts and badges bearing swastikas.

The Nazi emblem appeared on the items in a circle with a large red line through it, a common anti-Nazi symbol among German left wing activists.

However, a state court in the southwestern city of Stuttgart ruled on Friday that though the symbol represents anti-Nazi sentiments, it is still in violation of German law because it risks making the hooked cross acceptable again.

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the court fined the 32-year-old distributor 3,600 euros ($4,560) in a decision widely condemned by German politicians over the weekend. The defendant's lawyer has said he plans to appeal.

Justice Minister Brigitte Zypries questioned the logic of the decision in the German Maerkische Allgemeine newspaper on Monday, saying that if the ruling was confirmed by a higher court, then the law itself was flawed.

"If the federal court comes to the same decision, then something is wrong with the law," she was quoted as saying. The newspaper said Zypries may look into changing the legislation.

Under German law, performing a Hitler salute, wearing Nazi uniforms or displaying the swastika can carry a penalty of up to three years in prison.