Fetish ball ends in prison: man wears Waffen SS symbol!

Fetish ball ends in prison: man wears Waffen SS symbol!

A 49-year-old man was sentenced to a year in prison in Austria for wearing Nazi symbols. The St. Pölten regional court made this decision after the defendant wore a Waffen-SS badge at a fetish ball in Leiben. The ball, held on January 25, attracted about 800 visitors. The man was dressed in a biker vest and allowed himself to be photographed, which ultimately led to his conviction. When looking through the images, investigators discovered the skull and crossbones symbol, which is closely associated with the Waffen-SS.

Because of this discovery, the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution got involved and carried out a search of the man's apartment. There, investigators found a display case filled with items from the Nazi era. The defendant defended himself by claiming that he was a passionate detectorist and had no political background. However, he also has a tattoo of the “Black Sun,” which has a connection to neo-Nazi circles. According to him, he liked the symbol for purely aesthetic reasons.

Criminal consequences and previous convictions

The public prosecutor questioned the 49-year-old's innocence, especially since the man already has several previous convictions, but none for re-activation. The jury reached a quick verdict: the defendant received twelve months of conditional imprisonment. This case highlights the handling of right-wing extremist symbols in Austria, where the public display of badges from banned organizations is punishable. Wearing such symbols is not only a legal problem, but also a social problem. The swastika, the triskele and other symbols are banned by law in Germany and Austria, which has given right-wing extremist circles great potential for conflict in recent years.Loud Wikipedia The symbolic language also includes forbidden slogans and uses specific graphic symbols that are often used by right-wing extremists, but also by non-political groups.

A previous case in the region involved a 51-year-old man who used a “Black Sun” sticker. This shows that the use of such symbols occurs again and again in different contexts. While some symbols are not punishable by law, they can still be punished as sedition, for example if they originate from or glorify the National Socialist era. The context plays a crucial role here.

In addition, numerous abbreviations and symbols were coined in the neo-Nazi scene, the meaning of which is often not immediately obvious. Understanding this symbolism is important in order to recognize the dangers of right-wing extremism. Those interested can find out more about this topic on the website Diversity media library, which provides information about relevant right-wing extremist symbols and their legal classification.

The man's verdict is currently not yet final and the presumption of innocence applies. Nevertheless, this case shows how seriously the issue of right-wing extremist symbolism is taken and that laws are important both to protect society and to educate people about this issue.