Did you know that a man was once given a 5 month prison term for training his dog Adolf to raise his right paw in a Nazi salute every time the command “Heil Hitler!” was uttered
Today in Germany, Nazi salutes in written form, vocally, and even straight-extending the right arm as a saluting gesture (with or without the phrase), are illegal.[51][52] It is a criminal offence punishable by up to three years of prison (Strafgesetzbuch section 86a).[52][53] Usage for art, teaching and science is allowed unless “the existence of an insult results from the form of the utterance or the circumstances under which it occurred”.[53] Use of the salute has also been illegal in Austria since the end of World War II.
Usage that is “ironic and clearly critical of the Hitler Greeting” is exempt, which has led to legal debates as to what constitutes ironic use.[54] One recent case involved Prince Albrecht of Hanover, who was brought to court after using the gesture as a commentary on the behavior of an unduly zealous airport baggage inspector.[54] On 23 November 2007, the Amtsgericht Cottbus sentenced Horst Mahler to six months of imprisonment without parole for having, according to his own claims, ironically performed the Hitler salute when reporting to prison for a nine-month term a year earlier.[55] The following month, a pensioner named Roland T was given a prison term of five months for, amongst other things, training his dog Adolf to raise his right paw in a Nazi salute every time the command “Heil Hitler!” was uttered.[56]
Modified versions of the salute are sometimes used by neo-Nazis. One such version is the so-called “Kühnen salute” with extended thumb, index and middle finger, which is also a criminal offence in Germany.[57] In written correspondence, the number 88 is sometimes used by some neo-Nazis as a substitute for “Heil Hitler” (“H” as the eighth letter of the alphabet).[58] Swiss neo-nazis were reported to use a variant of the Kühnengruss, thought extending one’s right arm over their head and extending said three fingers has a different historical source for Switzerland, as the first three Eidgenossen or confederates are often depicted with this motion.
On 28 May 2012, BBC current affairs programme Panorama examined the issues of racism, antisemitism and football hooliganism, which it claimed were prevalent among Polish and Ukrainian football supporters. The programme, titled Euro 2012: Stadiums of Hate, included recent footage of Ukrainian supporters giving the Nazi salute and shouting “Sieg Heil”. The two countries hosted the international football competition UEFA Euro 2012.[59]
On 16 March 2013, Greek footballer Giorgos Katidis was handed a life ban from the Greek national team for performing the salute after scoring a goal against Veria F.C. in Athens’ Olympic Stadium.
A man was once given a 5 month prison term for training his dog Adolf to raise his right paw in a Nazi salute every time the command "Heil Hitler!" was uttered
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