You're reading: Austrian man gets 9 years for neo-Nazi website

VIENNA - An Austrian court has sentenced a leading neo-Nazi figure to nine years in jail for his role in launching an extreme-right website that glorified Nazism.

Gottfried Kuessel, 54, had denied any wrongdoing and told
the court he had turned over a new leaf since serving a previous
jail term for neo-Nazi activity, which is banned in Austria.

But heeding prosecutors’ description of Kuessel as a prime
leader of the extreme right, the jury voted 5-3 late on Thursday
to convict him. Two other defendants got sentences of seven and
four-and-a-half years.

Kuessel’s attorney, Michael Dohr, said he would appeal
against the conviction.

“I had expected an acquittal because of the very thin
evidence. There was only circumstantial evidence, not more,” he
said in remarks broadcast by Austria’s ORF radio.

Nazi Germany annexed Austria in 1938, and a debate still
smoulders on whether Austrians were Hitler’s first victims or
willing accomplices. Austria’s Jewish population was nearly
wiped out in the ensuing Holocaust.

Jewish leaders have warned of late against what they called
creeping tolerance of anti-Semitism in Austria.

A rabbi said in September that neo-Nazi soccer fans had
verbally abused him while police looked on, and a far-right
politician drew criticism from the country’s president for
posting a cartoon on his website that was widely seen as
anti-Semitic.