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Editions of »Mein Kampf« at the Institute for Contemporary History (IfZ) in Munich
Photo: Matthias Balk/ dpa
A local politician from the Austrian Freedom Party (FPÖ) stated that the last book he read was Adolf Hitler's manifesto »Mein Kampf«. In the run-up to the upcoming local council elections in Waidhofen an der Ybbs in Lower Austria, the "Bezirksblätter" and the website MeinBezirk.at asked the top candidates about their hobbies, favorite song and the book they read last. The FPÖ candidate Josef Gschwandegger apparently answered the latter with "That must have been 'Mein Kampf'". This is reported by MeinBezirk.at and Der Standard, among others.
After the statement had caused a great deal of media attention in Austria, Gschwandegger put his statements into perspective - or at least tried to: he was quoted imprecisely and had read the racist propaganda pamphlet a long time ago, reports the "Kronen Zeitung".
Gschwandegger also told the website MeinBezirk.at: “I generally read little, maybe one book a year”.
Demands for resignation from the SPÖ and ÖVP
According to Austrian media reports, the state party leaders of the ÖVP and SPÖ called for Gschwandegger's immediate resignation. »When it comes to rejecting National Socialism, there is consensus among all political parties in our country. There can therefore only be one consequence: the immediate resignation of Josef Gschwandegger as the top candidate of the FPÖ Waidhofen ad Ybbs", the regional manager of the ÖVP Lower Austria Bernhard Ebner was quoted by the "Lower Austrian News" in its online edition noen.at.
Other top candidates from Waidhofen also commented on the incident, especially on social media.
"I'm sorry, Josef Gschwandegger: 'Mein Kampf' as the last book you read doesn't work at all," wrote Mayor and People's Party candidate Werner Krammer on Facebook.
The SPÖ Deputy Mayor Armin Bahr posted a photo of himself with a book on Austria's contemporary history and the demand for Gschwandegger: "Learn's history!".
Possession and reading legal in Austria
As "Der Standard" reports, owning and reading "Mein Kampf" is not forbidden in Austria.
Only the uncommented original edition may not be distributed.
There is therefore no reason for investigations by the public prosecutor.
In Germany, the copyright was held by the Free State of Bavaria until 2015, which prevented reprints at home and abroad.
Uncommented versions, which are particularly popular with neo-Nazis, are distributed in Germany primarily via the gray market on the Internet.
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