Two days before the Austrian National Council elections, FPÖ politicians, including top officials, attended the funeral of the „Old Boy” of the political party, Walter Sucher, who is known for making controversial statements related to the Nazi ideology.
Walter Sucher, who died at 90, was a former FPO politician and was part of the right-wing extremist wing of the Freedom Party, Olympia.
In 2006, Sucher called out to his audience during a speech at an FPÖ party conference: I greet you all with a hearty Heil! He later defended himself, claiming that Heil! is „our old greeting”. Sucher also said that people should not miss the opportunity to sing the SS anthem „Wenn alle untreu werden“.
The SS song was sung at Sucher’s funeral, as it was revealed in a leaked video. Among those seen on the recording are MP Harald Stefan, who was number one on the FPÖ’s Vienna state list, parliamentary group director Norbert Nemeth, and National Council member Martin Graf. Apparently, the SS song apparently did not persuade any of them to leave the party.
FPÖ-Skandal um Nazi-Lied bei Begräbnis
Zwei Tage vor der Nationalratswahl trugen FPÖ-Politiker einen Burschenschafter und ehemaligen Parteifreund zu Grabe. Dabei wurde eine Hymne der nationalsozialistischen Schutzstaffel SS gesungen. Anwesend waren etwa Harald Stefan, Norbert Nemeth und Martin Graf, die alle für die Freiheitlichen bei der Wahl 24 antreten.
The SS’s „Loyalty Song“ dates back to the early 19th century, but was adopted by the SS as their „loyalty” or „relay song,” complementing their motto ‘My honor is loyalty’. In the SS’s song culture, it occupied a central position, as can be seen from its prominent position in the SS songbook. The version sung twice at the funeral was the one from the SS songbook.
Right-wing extremism expert Andreas Peham believes that „singing this verse should and can be prosecuted under the prohibition law.“ The symbols of the SS are currently banned in Austria.
The New Austria and Liberal Forum, the Greens, and the Democratic Socialist (SPO) parties condemned the FPO for singing the song at the funeral. In response, the FPO argued that it was disrespectful to exploit a funeral politically.
On behalf of the Jewish Austrian Student Union, World Jewish Congress executive council member Benjamin Guttman filed charges against those FPO politicians who were in attendance on suspicion of Nazi re-engagement. He stated, „It is unbearable that these individuals continue to hold political office instead of facing justice in court.“
The FPO came first in the parliamentary election on Sunday.
Sources: DerStandard, Telex, The Jerusalem Post
Photo credit: Askin Kiyagan/Anadolu/picture alliance
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