SHARE
COPY LINK

CRIME

Vorarlberg Neo-Nazi convicted

A 27-year-old Vorarlberg man has been found guilty of engaging in National Socialist activities, including operating as a leading member of the group National Action Vorarlberg.

Vorarlberg Neo-Nazi convicted
Swastika symbol and flag. File photo: APA/Henning Kaiser

Sentenced to seven months conditional imprisonment and a €7,200 fine, the man is said to have organized round table meetings and operated a website which disseminated Nazi content. The defendant himself denied the allegations.

The website in question calls for "a non-violent revolution of the mind" and the abolition of democracy, to be replaced by a national community. It also demands freedom for the right-wing radical Gottfried Küssel.

The material was found on the man's computer in his apartment, along with images and symbols reminiscent of and glorifying the Nazi era.

Senior prosecutor Wilfried Siegele found there was clear evidence the defendant was distributing texts and images with Nazi content, against the relevant laws of the Prohibition Act.

During the court process, the young man stressed that terms such as "Heroes Memorial", "Ostmark", and symbols such as the ibex and the number "88" which is used in certain circles as a code for "Heil Hitler", could also be understood in a neutral way.

"Who does something like that?" Siegele asked during the trial.

The site was registered on an American server, where there is no information as to who owns the site.

The whole presentation, the content and symbols are all very clearly Nazi symbols, Siegele told the court.

"There is no doubt that this is a case of re-engagement with National Socialist Activities," said Seigele. "This has nothing to do with freedom of speech."

The three-time offender told the court he was a nationalist and wanted a people's democracy, where the people have more say, instead of the current democracy.

"The goal is the identity of our people."

Judge Peter Mueck questioned the defendant as to which people he was referring to – Germans, or Austrians?

The accused was unanimously found guilty by the jury.

Member comments

Log in here to leave a comment.
Become a Member to leave a comment.

CRIME

Austria investigates 17 teens for alleged sexual abuse of girl

Austrian authorities on Friday said they were investigating 17 teenagers - including 12 minors - over the alleged months-long sexual abuse of a 12-year-old girl in Vienna last year.

Austria investigates 17 teens for alleged sexual abuse of girl

The alleged offences took place in a disadvantaged area of the capital’s south “between February and June 2023, in toilets, garages, a hotel and in the perpetrators’ homes”, Florian Finda, deputy director of the Vienna police, told a news conference.

The suspects in the rare case – most of whom are aged between 14 and 18 – are of Bulgarian, Italian, Serbian, Syrian and Turkish origin.

Two of them are under 14 and therefore below Austria’s age of criminal responsibility.

The suspects – almost all of whom were known to police for other offences – are accused of serious sexual abuse of a minor, including the pornographic depiction of the abuse of a minor.

Thirteen suspects were questioned on Thursday, with some of them partially denying the allegations.

The suspects and the Austrian victim met through one of the accused, with whom the then 12-year-old is said to have made out with.

She was then introduced to the rest of the group.

The boys allegedly exchanged videos and photos of the abuse via social networks including WhatsApp chats, with one of them allegedly threatening to share the pornographic material.

According to the police, none of the material was made available to the wider public.

In October, the young girl, now 13, informed her mother, who subsequently filed a complaint.

The ongoing investigation is due to be transferred to the public prosecutor’s office.

SHOW COMMENTS