Austrian court sentences man who urged gassing of migrants

VIENNA – An Austrian court has found a man guilty of violating the country’s anti-Nazi laws and sentenced him to a 14-month suspended prison term after he posted a call for the reopening of a Hitler-era concentration camp and the gassing of migrants there.

The man acknowledged that during a discussion of the migrant situation he had posted on a social media platform: “If possible, open Mauthausen again and let the gas in.” He said during the trial that ended Monday that he acted under the influence of alcohol and did not mean to spread Nazi propaganda.

The court in the southern city of Klagenfurt also imposed a 1,200-euro ($1,434) fine. The man is not being identified in keeping with Austrian confidentiality laws.