Teenagers charged

Hitler salute on the riverbank

After the terrible incident on the banks of the River Traisen in Lower Austria, the two teenagers and a young adult now had to stand trial in St. Pölten. The trio was charged with re-activation.

(Bild: Huber Patrick)

A young trio was on trial in St. Pölten on charges of reoffending and making dangerous threats: Four children were pelted with stones and threatened with a knife.

Only recently, shocking scenes from the German vacation island of Sylt caused heated emotions and far-reaching consequences: National Socialist slogans including the Hitler salute made waves. Even the non-political dance anthem "L'amour toujours" by Gigi D'Agostino came under fire.

Incidents are piling up
In Lower Austria, too, the judiciary is currently being called upon to nip national socialist tendencies in the bud. Only on Tuesday, two teenagers and a young adult (16, 17 and 22 years old) had to answer to the court in St. Pölten for re-activation.

What the defense considered to be at most an administrative offence and "youthful stupidity" ended for one of the three defendants with a six-month suspended sentence including anti-violence training. An excursion to the Traisen river on February 16 got completely out of hand.

Reactivation or "youth nonsense": This question had to be clarified in court.

(Bild: stock.adobe.com)

The trio shot stones at the four children.

(Bild: stock.adobe.com)

The Lower Austrians were put on trial at the regional court in St. Pölten.

(Bild: P. Huber)

In addition to a few beers, four children attracted the trio's attention: the boys aged ten to twelve, three of them with a migration background, felt the concentrated resentment of the adolescents. After wild insults, stones were thrown at the children. An argument broke out. This was followed by the Hitler salute, accompanied by a Nazi propaganda song. Suddenly, the second defendant pulled out a knife: "Get lost or I'll stab you", he is said to have shouted at them.

Prison sentence and community service
"The little ones got on their nerves," the defense tried to placate them. Acquittal for the first defendant, the third defendant has to do 100 hours of community service. The suspended sentence for the second defendant is already legally binding.