The far-right Freedom Party (FPÖ) said on Friday it has expelled two local councillors for sharing Hitler photos and quotes on WhatsApp, in yet another embarrassment for Austria’s junior coalition partner.
The two were among six people whose homes were raided by police in Suben in north-western Austria on suspicion of breaking laws against glorifying the Nazis.
Local FPÖ official Erwin Schreiner said that they were thrown out of the party and that they had been “keenly urged” to step down as councillors.
“In the FPÖ there is zero tolerance”for glorifying the Third Reich,” Schreiner told the Austria Press Agency.
The FPÖ was founded by former Nazis in the 1950s but in recent years has sought to clean up its image, with party leader Heinz-Christian Strache saying it rejects all extremism.
But since its entry into government in December, the party has been embroiled in a string of incidents that critics say show it remains a hotbed of Nazi sympathizers and racists.
Israel’s government has said it will not have direct contact with FPOe ministers, a stance mirrored by Austria’s Jewish community organisation and EJC affiliate, the IKG.
