Police charge 8 over Nazi slogans at Vienna anti-Islam rally
Participants shouted 'Heil Hitler,' flashed Nazi symbols during February demonstration, police spokesman says
VIENNA — Austrian police charged eight participants in the country’s first protest against perceived “Islamization” with yelling “Heil Hitler!” and other actions that contravene Austria’s anti-Nazi laws Tuesday.
Beyond shouting slogans, police spokesman Roman Hahslinger said some suspects flashed the Hitler salute or other gestures associated with the Nazis during last month’s demonstration, which was modeled after Germany’s PEGIDA movement.
As many as 25,000 supporters of PEGIDA, or Patriotic Europeans against the Islamization of the West, turned out in German cities last year. In Vienna, the demonstration attracted about 200 people.
Police say the suspects, seen on photos and videos, have yet to be identified.
Austrian law prohibits gestures, words and actions linked to the Nazi regime. A conviction can carry a prison sentence of up to 10 years.