Twelve months conditional detention: Kirchdorfer was active in the Nazi WhatsApp group

It was probably not the biggest lights that had expressed National Socialist ideas in the WhatsApp group “Deutsches Kaiserreich”. Defense attorney Hartmut Graf tried to portray his client as a victim rather than a perpetrator in the initial statement during the trial for the crime under Paragraph 3 of the Prohibition Act against a 23-year-old from the Kirchdorf district in the Steyr Regional Court. After moving from the hospital to Schlierbach, he was alone, his girlfriend left him, so he looked for a connection. He accepted the invitation of a stranger to join this WhatsApp group just as carelessly as he did willingly.

Jew-despising mockery

Those who were interested in the history of the 20th century should have noticed, according to their own statement, that the worst kind of National Socialist mob was hiding behind the name “Kaiserreich”: Not only swastikas and pictures of Hitler were posted there, but also pseudonyms such as “Der Hauptmann”. or “Rommel” betrayed the attitude that was reflected in some creepy statements: “Anne Frank, the coolest Jewess in the shower room” or the photo of a transport of Jews on the way to the concentration camp with the note “Enjoy life to the fullest” need not be closer be commented.

In March of last year, the Kirchdorfer joined the group and left it only four months later, after he himself had posted a picture of Hitler with the addition “Heil!”. Because family and friends then urged him to do so, he said to judge Christina Forstner when asked why it took him so long for this overdue farewell. He repeated the statement he had made to the police in court: “Not everything Hitler did was bad. People had something to eat and work.” And the Autobahn was also built.

“I can’t even hear it anymore,” prosecutor Andreas Pechatschek said, angry at this attitude, which paves the way to the darkest past for those who are backwards. All of this served to prepare for war and the merciless extermination of millions of people.

However, the 23-year-old had not only exchanged views in this group with 80 like-minded people for months, he had also sent the imperial eagle and photos of self-made swastikas to another group. In addition, he had kept a lavish collection of souvenirs from the Nazi era at home. At that time he thought it was cool in the Third Reich, the confessing Kirchdorfer justifies in court: “In retrospect, it was just stupid.”

Judgment with dunning effect

The prosecutor demanded that the verdict should have a warning effect in order to deter potential imitators. However, the penalty should be at the lower threshold.

A demand the jury followed, they returned a guilty verdict. With twelve months imprisonment, conditionally extended to three years, the 23-year-old got away with the minimum sentence. In addition, according to the instructions, he must complete a “commemorative educational walk in the Mauthausen concentration camp”. The judgment is final.