Austrian councilman resigns over Nazi tattoo

A member of a southern Austrian village\'s municipal council has stepped down following an uproar over his Nazi-inspired tattoo. In a resignation letter dated May 30 and sent to the village\'s mayor, Gerry Leitmann, 31, said he was not aware of his tattoo\'s \"historic connections\" and will have it removed immediately, according to The Associated Press.

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Jewish Journal

May 31, 2011

A member of a southern Austrian village’s municipal council has stepped down following an uproar over his Nazi-inspired tattoo.

In a resignation letter dated May 30 and sent to the village’s mayor, Gerry Leitmann, 31, said he was not aware of his tattoo’s “historic connections” and will have it removed immediately, according to The Associated Press.

The tattoo reads “Blut und Ehre”—translated into English as “Blood and Honor, the slogan and motto of the Hitler Youth—and is inked on Leitmann’s upper arm.

Local Ebenthal politicians first saw the tattoo at a council meeting last week when Leitmann wore a short-sleeved shirt, the Austrian Independent newspaper reported.

Even if he removes it, Leitmann could still face jail time or fines under Austria’s federal anti-Nazi mind-set law, regarded as one of the strictest in the world.