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A commemoration marking the 87th anniversary of Kristallnacht in the Austrian city of Modling came to an abrupt halt on Sunday when Nazi leader Adolf Hitler’s voice blasted from a nearby apartment.
The ceremony took place at the former site of the town’s synagogue, which Nazi mobs destroyed during the 1938 pogroms. About 50 people attended the event.
The Hitler recording continued for nearly ninety seconds and swept across the square. The interruption began just as the program prepared to move into a musical segment.
City Councillor Stephan Schimanova called the audio “extremely loud” and said attendees were left “speechless.” He added that the moment caused “a great deal of consternation” and described it as “just sick.”
Investigation Proceeds Under Austria’s Anti-Nazi Statutes
Officials filed a complaint soon after the disruption, and police quickly traced the audio to an apartment in a nearby residential building. Austrian media report that the Wiener Neustadt public prosecutor’s office was investigating a specific suspect for National Socialist revival.
The inquiry involves cooperation with the State Office for State Protection and Counter-Extremism. Because the recording reached a broad audience, authorities view the case as severe.
Austria enforces some of Europe’s toughest laws against neo-Nazi activity. Under Article 1, Section 3(g) of the 1947 Prohibition Act, actions linked to National Socialism can lead to a prison sentence of up to five years. However, the maximum punishment increases to ten years when an act is broadcast or reaches many people. If investigators conclude that the conduct presents a particular danger, the penalty can rise to between ten and twenty years.
Antisemitism Front and Center
The intrusion of Hitler’s voice into a Holocaust remembrance event reveals how hate-driven provocations continue to target Jewish memory and identity. Kristallnacht marked a shift to open, state-sanctioned violence against Jews. Today, as antisemitism rises worldwide, moments like this show the need for law enforcement to recognize modern expressions of Jew-hatred and respond with clarity and resolve.
Moreover, strong education about antisemitism — including the widely-accepted definition that explains how it manifests — remains essential for ensuring that such acts are identified for what they are and addressed with the seriousness they demand.
Take Action
CAM has launched Report It — a secure app to report antisemitic incidents anonymously and in real time. Don’t stay silent — download it today on the Apple Store or Google Play. See it. Report it. Stop it. Together, we can fight this hate.
