A number of leading Austrian politicians have condemned recent statements from John Gudenus, a member of the upper chamber of the Austrian parliament, in which he questioned that the Nazis used gas chambers in their concentration camps. At a celebration to mark the 60th anniversary of the founding of the Austrian republic on Wednesday, federal chancellor Wolfgang Schüssel said: “A Holocaust denier should not be part of a democratic body.” President Heinz Fischer said: “If there is any doubt that gas chambers exist, I recommend a visit to Mauthausen or Auschwitz. That will provide more clarity than is really bearable.” He said: “We have to know what to be proud of and what we should be ashamed of.” Herbert Scheibner of Jörg Haider’s Alliance for Austria’s Future (BZÖ) condemned the statements, which were broadcast on Tuesday on state television, as “completely unacceptable and impossible”. It remains unclear whether Gudenus, until recently a member of Haider's former Freedom Party, will be able to continue in his parliamentary position.