Revision of World War Two History
National Socialism Prohibition Act 1947.
The National Socialism Prohibition Act of 1947 (Verbotsgesetz) prohibits any action associated with the NSDAP and its paramilitary groups or their goals, or even in the "spirit" of their goals, with the aim of undermining "the self-determination and independence of the Republic of Austria or disturbing the public peace and reconstruction of Austria or whoever plays the leading role in such association. It also prohibits soliciting, inciting or attempting to induce others by means of "publications," "documents" or "illustrations" publicly or in the presence of several persons to commit prohibited acts related to National Socialism as well as any material that glorifies or praises the goals of the NSDAP, its institutions or actions.
Despite the obvious facts of glorification of the Nazi regime and its henchmen in 2017-19, none of them were recorded in decisions or otherwise made by the Austrian authorities. Moreover, the Austrian Freedom Party (FPÖ), which has been in a government coalition since 2018, has repeatedly stated that the Prohibition Act illegally violates freedom of speech and therefore calls for its repeal or revision; a challenge generally rejected by all other political parties in Austria. Such an initiative is now closed. Indeed, other political figures have consistently affirmed the Prohibition Act as a "fundamental, politically necessary distancing from the Nazi regime" because of Austria's historical responsibility.
