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01. 12. 11. - 18:00

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01. 12. 11. - 18:00

Austria a safe haven for KKK icon after arrest

A former Ku Klux Klan (KKK) spearhead banned from entering Europe’s free travel zone is living in Austria unaffected by domestic authorities despite his racist activities in past decades.

The Kurier, a Viennese newspaper, reports today (Thurs) that David Duke did not face interrogations or any kind of sanctions after he returned to Austria after being arrested in Germany. The daily reveals that the former top-tier representative of the KKK – a far-right organisation founded in the United States – was detained by police in Cologne as he headed for a gathering of neo-Nazis last week. Officials acted after getting hold of a list of speakers and guests of the gathering. They decided to release Duke from custody after a short while after he had agreed to leave the country immediately.

Karl-Heinz Grundböck, a spokesman for the Austrian interior ministry, confirmed that Duke was a registered citizen of Zell am See in the province of Salzburg. He confirmed that the US American was banned from entering the Schengen free travel zone – but claimed that Austrian police and judicial authorities could not take any action against him as long as he was not caught breaching the country’s anti-Nazi propaganda law.

Karl Öllinger of the Austrian Green Party did little to disguise his anger about authorities’ decision-making. "It seems that an American Nazi is welcome here anytime. Duke would have no chance to mutter a word before he was thrown out of the Schengen zone were he a migrant worker," the member of the federal Austrian parliament (MP) said today.

Twenty-five European countries are part of the Schengen travel agreement which theoretically allows citizens to move within this area without ever having to show a passport or other ID documents. With Norway, Iceland and Switzerland, three Schengen treaty participants are non-European Union (EU) states. EU members Ireland and Great Britain are not part of the Schengen zone.

Speaking to the Kurier, Grundböck explained that Italy and Malta permitted Duke to enter the Schengen area. This decision allegedly forces federal authorities to withdraw from issuing sanctions against the infamous right-wing extremist. Asked why German police put Duke in custody before ordering him to leave the country, Grundböck argued that their actions were "preventive" as they came shortly before a meeting of neo-Nazis.

Duke’s most recent arrest occurred two years after he had been detained in the Czech Republic before he had a chance to get on the stage in front of right-wingers. The 61-year-old, who denies the Holocaust, controversially launched a private business in Zell am See two and a half years ago when he started to photograph rare birds and sell the images. Interior ministry official Alexander Marakovits said at that time: "As a US citizen, he can, as a tourist, stay three months at a time without a visa. And currently there is no evidence of criminal acts."

It is unclear whether Duke has applied to Austrian immigration authorities for a permanent right to stay in the meantime. He told the Austrian Times in 2009: "I'm not in Austria for any political activities. When I'm in Europe it's usually in Italy or Ukraine but I also spend a lot of time in Russia."

He added: "I just come to Austria to relax. The mountains are beautiful. I am a writer, photographer, a speaker. I do all sorts of things."

Austrian officials in charge of protecting the constitution took Duke's homepage – www.artbyernst.com – offline in May 2009, shortly after it emerged that he was running a prospering internet shop for nature photography.

Austrian Times

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