Fritzl town’s Hitler honour annulment finds followers
Amstettens decision to strip Adolf Hitler of his honorary citizenship has triggered a certain sense of nervousness among politicians across the country.The Lower Austrian town which gained unwanted fame for being the location of the Fritzl incest horror house revoked the honour earlier this week, 66 years after the Austrian-born Nazi dictators suicide. A Green Party delegate put Town Hall delegates under pressure by revealing that Hitler was still honoured that way.Social Democratic (SPÖ) Mayor Herbert Katzengruber admitted that the debate was “very emotional,” adding that the decision found a “vast majority” in the end.Political opponents of the Freedom Party (FPÖ) turned their guns on the right-wing party once more when it was revealed that its Amstetten Town Hall faction abstained from voting on the Hitler issue. The delegates claimed that citizen of honour titles and similar acknowledgements become obsolete when the person is deceased.Federal party leader Heinz-Christian Strache attacked struggling Eurozone member Greece in a speech in front of hundreds of supporters in Vienna-Favoriten yesterday (Thurs) but failed to react on Austrian newspapers requests to comment on the Amstetten vote controversy.FPÖ General Secretary Herbert Kickl accused the Greens of not being interested in “urgent current matters” by focusing on the honorary citizen topic. The left-wing party hit back by accusing the FPÖ of being unable to disassociate itself from the far-right and Nazi mindset.Meanwhile, decision-makers in Klagenfurt decided to strip Hitler of his citizen of honour title although historians are at odds over whether the infamous Third Reich leader was ever given this title. The Carinthian citys Mayor Christian Scheider announced today the Town Hall wanted to send a clear message by taking back the honour regardless of the uncertainties over it was ever spoken out.Scheiders party, the Carinthian Freedom Party (FPK), cooperates with the FPÖ. It was founded by former Alliance for the Future of Austria (BZÖ) members last year. The BZÖ was set up by late FPÖ leader Jörg Haider in 2005. Both the FPÖ and the BZÖ are strongly represented in the federal parliament in Vienna. The FPÖs faction there also includes FPK officials.Waidhofen an der Ybbs in Lower Austria is next to strip Hitler of the towns citizen of honour acknowledgement, according to reports.