On Saturday, the “Standard” published video recordings from the funeral Olympic fraternity members and former FPÖ district councilor Walter Sucher at the Hernals cemetery. According to an obituary published online, he died on September 10th at the age of 91.
“A life for honor, freedom, fatherland”can be read on the obituary. The former FPÖ district councilor, who has not been active for a long time, once attracted attention because he said “I greet you all with a mighty hail!” at an FPÖ party conference. shouted into the crowd. At the age of 72, Sucher also said in the speech that he didn’t want to miss out on the opportunity SS anthem “When everyone becomes unfaithful” still singing today. Video recordings that were leaked to the “Standard” show that this very song is said to have been sung at his funeral.
FPÖ officials present
According to the recordings, also present at the funeral: the FPÖ National Council member Harald Stefanwho is running for first place on the Vienna state list in the National Council election on Sunday. The evening after the funeral, he was the whip for Herbert Kickl at the end of the FPÖ’s election campaign at Stephansplatz.
Also present, according to the “Standard”, was the club director of the Freedom Parliament Club and president of the freedom think tank “Atterseekreis”, Norbert Nemethwho is running for ninth place on the federal list. On the recordings is also a member of the National Council Martin Graf can be seen, which is in third place on the Vienna state list. Furthermore, the former FPÖ politician Johann Gudenus and, according to “Standard”, members of the right-wing extremist “Identitarian Movement” can be recognized.
According to “Standard”, it cannot be determined whether the people mentioned sang along to the SS liege. But they didn’t leave the funeral either. The FPÖ officials have corresponding ones Inquiries not answered.
The FPÖ then expressed outrage to the APA about the video recordings of the farewell. “To now want to politically abuse the funeral of a private individual, over whose planning and organization the FPÖ had no influence, is irreverent and shabby.”
“Holy German Reich” sung
The newspaper quotes Bernhard Weidinger from the Documentation Archive of the Austrian Resistance, who explains that the song comes from the early 19th century and by the SS, which was responsible, among other things, for the administration of concentration camps and the systematic murder of Jews during National Socialism , as “Loyalty” or “Relay song had been used. The song is particularly highlighted in the SS songbook.
In the original version by Max von Schenkendorf this is not the case “Holy German Empire” sung that this line only exists in the SS version. This version can be heard in the recordings from the funeral. According to Weidinger, even the original version is not historically untainted, as it is dedicated to the anti-Semite Friedrich Ludwig Jahn.
The right-wing extremism expert Andreas Peham told the “Standard” that singing this verse prosecuted under the Prohibition Act become “should and can”.
The published recordings immediately provoked initial political reactions: “Are these the sensible forces in the FPÖ that you are talking about,” commented the SPÖ on “X” in the direction of Chancellor Karl Nehammer (ÖVP). “Are these the ‘many sensible forces in the FPÖ’ who will bring you back into the government?” NEOS politician Douglas Hoyos also asked the ÖVP leader.
In any case, the Greens saw the report as further evidence that the FPÖ was right-wing extremist. The day before the National Council election, Justice Minister Alma Zadić called on the ÖVP and SPÖ to “finally show a clear stance”.
The People’s Party once again focused its criticism specifically on the “Kickl-FPÖ” under chairman Herbert Kickl. The party wrote on
The Jewish Austrian Students (JöH) have reported the above-mentioned FPÖ politicians and other people to the Vienna public prosecutor’s office for renewed activity.
