Salzburg – The memorial monument to the victims of the Nazi regime was sprayed with the words “Horst Wessel”. The double S in the name WESSEL was written in the Nazi style. According to Herman Rechberger, director of the Office for Defense of the Constitution, this is probably “a new group of criminals”. The reason for this statement is the type of inscription and the reference to the memorial site.
The background of this cautious analysis is the motive for all the graffiti actions up till now. The two detainees also desecrated stepping stones that were laid in front of the Jews’ houses in order to commemorate the victims of the Nazi terror. In their confessions they specifically mention antisemitic motives. In contrast, the monument, which was inaugurated in 1955 at the town’s cemetery, is “Christian and patriotic”, said historian Gert Kerschbaumer, an expert on National Socialism who resides in Salzburg. Therefore, it is hard to view this act as an incident motivated by antisemitism.
