Austrian local councilor with Nazi tattoo resigns

31 May 2011

Gerry Leitmann, a member of an Austrian municipal council, has resigned after causing an uproar over his Nazi tattoo. It was recently revealed that the Hitler Youth slogan 'Blood and Honor' is etched on one of the arms of the 31-year-old. Leitmann said in a letter that he was resigning from the municipal council in Ebenthal, in the region of Carinthia, with deep regret. The member of the far-right Freedom Party once led by the later Jörg Haider claimed he had not known about the "historic connections" associated with the wording of the tattoo when he got it in 2007, and now promised to have it removed immediately.

Lawyers says that the local politician might face legal charges over the tattoo. Leitmann's resignation came as several Austrian towns are discussing the revoking of honorary citizenships granted to Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler after 1938.