Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Nazi symbol on tombstone in Austria to be removed after complaint from cemetery visitor

It is illegal to display Nazi regalia and symbols in Austria

Kashmira Gander
Sunday 19 July 2015 17:02 BST
Comments
A Nazi rally in 1933 - it is illegal to glorify the Nazi past in Austria
A Nazi rally in 1933 - it is illegal to glorify the Nazi past in Austria (Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

A cemetery plot owner in Austria is facing pressure to remove "disgusting" Nazi symbols from two tombstones after a visitor complained.

The bodies of SS second lieutenant Gisbert Katzwendel and Nazi party clerical worker Friedrich Katzwendel lie in the graveyard in Linz, Upper Austria, beneath stones emblazoned with SS lightning bolts.

It is illegal to publicly display Nazi regalia and symbols, and those who break the law can face criminal charges and a prison sentence. However, depictions erected before the law came into place in 1947 have previously been allowed.

Uwe Sailer, who passed the controversial graves when he visited his father-in-law’s plot, told the Kurier newspaper that he found the sight “disgusting”, according to a translation by the Local.At website.

Following a complaint by Sailer, the Upper Austrian organisation against right-wing extremism is calling on the cemetery owner to remove the SS bolts.

Karin Weilguny, who is in charge of the local authority’s cemeteries and burials department, told the Kurier that the city’s lawyers had asked the plot owner to remove the banned symbols by 27 July. If the owner fails to do so the SS bolts would be removed at their expense.

The incident is not the first time that the party’s symbols have caused controversy in a country which has paid out millions of dollars in reparations to victims of the Nazi party and their families.

Last year, a swastika on a tombstone in Graz was covered up after police threatened the plot owner with a €4,000 (£2,800) fine, the broadcaster ORF reported according to the Associated Press.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in