Trial in Graz

Non-commissioned officer set up private Nazi museum

The jury courtroom in Graz

(Bild: Jauschowetz Christian)

In his wife's house, a Styrian non-commissioned officer set up his own museum with war memorabilia, including over a hundred Nazi paraphernalia such as uniforms, long guns and steel helmets as well as a Hitler altar. Now he is on trial before a jury.

A non-commissioned officer - he is currently not working for the Austrian Armed Forces due to his trial - feels completely misunderstood on Wednesday before the jury court in Graz. What the prosecutor is accusing him of is serious: National Socialist reactivation and unauthorized possession of weapons.

According to the indictment, the man (49) set up his own room in his wife's house, where he collected over a hundred Nazi memorabilia. These included two mannequins dressed in Nazi uniforms, an altar with a picture of Adolf Hitler above it, numerous relevant pictures and long guns on the walls, display cabinets with certificates, badges, steel helmets and the like.

In addition, he is said to have rented a garage under a false name and also offered the banned paraphernalia for sale there. The depot was discovered because the landlord opened the garage after rent arrears. He also sent pictures via WhatsApp. Particularly disturbing: one of them is of his underage son wearing a steel-capped helmet with a swastika and saluting at attention.

Possible revenge action after charges of racist remarks?
In his opening statement, his defence lawyer, Christian Fauland, criticized the work of the public prosecutor and the police. His client was accused of partially false facts. As a non-commissioned officer, he had constantly had to undergo reliability checks and had never once attracted attention. He only became an issue when he had to report a colleague for making racist remarks. In addition: "It was known among colleagues that my client collects devotional objects," says Fauland, hinting at a possible revenge action.

The accused himself wants absolutely nothing to do with National Socialism: "I'm only interested in military events. It's not for nothing that there are also devotional objects from the First World War, the interwar period and the post-war period." "You're welcome to have them, but the Nazi devotional objects are still prohibited," the presiding judge Michaela Lapanje explained.

"What fascinates you about them, why are they on display?" - "Nothing fascinates me about it." - "Then you could have thrown the things into a suitcase in the attic." "I wanted to present it all as a museum for myself, but unfortunately the room turned into a storage room."

Dialog zwischen Richterin Michaela Lapanje und dem Angeklagten

And wants to know further: "What fascinates you about it, why do you exhibit something like that?" - "Nothing fascinates me about it." - "Then you could have thrown the things into a suitcase in the attic." "I wanted to present it all as a museum for me personally, but unfortunately the room turned into a storage room." However, he cannot plausibly explain the picture of his son with a steel-capped helmet including a military salute, nor all the other Nazi depictions that he sent via cell phone chat to acquaintances with whom he doesn't even have much to do. 

A verdict is expected today.