The Daily Telegraph

Holocaust songbook linked to Austrian coalition party politician

- By Justin Huggler in Berlin

AUSTRIA’S government has been rocked after a senior politician from the nationalis­t Freedom Party (FPÖ) was linked to a songbook containing lyrics that glorified the Holocaust.

It emerged this week that the songbook, circulated privately by one of Austria’s secretive fraterniti­es whose members include a prominent FPÖ politician, included the lyric: “Step on the gas, you old Teutons, so we can make it to seven million”.

Sebastian Kurz, Austria’s chancellor who, at 31, is the world’s youngest leader, formed a coalition of his People’s Party (ÖVP) and the FPÖ last year.

The latest row centres on Udo Landbauer, the FPÖ’S lead candidate in this weekend’s regional elections. Mr Landbauer is also deputy head of the fraternity responsibl­e for the songbook.

The Germania fraternity is one of the traditiona­l and secretive student fraterniti­es which still dominate certain sectors of Austrian society. They have long been linked with the political farright, and other lyrics in the songbook which emerged this week include “Heil Hitler” and “To die for Germany is the greatest honour”.

Details of the songbook were uncovered by Falter, an Austrian magazine.

Mr Landbauer has denied any knowledge of the songbook and said he is freezing his fraternity membership.

“When this book was printed I was 11 years old,” he said in a statement. “Neither I nor the FPÖ has anything to do with anti-semitism, xenophobia or totalitari­anism.”

Mr Landbauer’s opponents countered that he joined Germania when aged 14, only three years after it was printed. Mr Kurz condemned the songbook as “racist, anti-semitic and absolutely sickening” in a tweet.

Heinz-christian Strache, the FPÖ leader, accused Falter of attempting to damage Mr Landbauer’s election campaign. “The fraterniti­es have nothing to do with the FPÖ,” he said.

The Jewish Community of Vienna (IKG), Austria’s pre-eminent Jewish organisati­on, said this week it would not take part in the parliament’s annual Holocaust memorial event in protest at the FPÖ’S involvemen­t in the coalition government.

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