Austria: Identitarians Cleared Of 'Hate Speech,' 'Criminal Organization' Charges

Chris Menahan
InformationLiberation
Jul. 26, 2018

In a major victory for free speech in Austria, 17 anti-immigration activists with the Identitarian movement that were hit with "hate speech" charges and "criminal organization" charges normally reserved for the mafia were freed Thursday after going to court.

From AFP:

An Austrian court on Thursday found 17 members of Austria's far-right 'Identitarian Movement' (IBÖ) not guilty of charges of criminal association and hate speech.

Ten prominent members of the group and seven other "active sympathizers" had gone on trial in the city of Graz earlier this month on charges connected to several of the group's stunts in recent years.

Being found guilty of criminal association would have posed a serious threat to the IBÖ's ability to continue operating.

Right-wing activist Brittany Pettibone shared news of the verdict Thursday morning on Twitter:

After a long month of court dates, the verdict for the Austrian Generation Identity trial is finally in:
NOT guilty of hate speech.
NOT guilty of being a criminal organization.
The boys are FREE!#ÖsterreichIstFrei #Vindicated pic.twitter.com/19lgpG1ft3
— Brittany Pettibone (@BrittPettibone) July 26, 2018

Two of the Generation Identity guys have to pay small fines for incidents unrelated to the main charges, but other than that, it’s a good day for freedom in Austria.
— Brittany Pettibone (@BrittPettibone) July 26, 2018

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