Accusation of Nazi Re-Engagement: Acquittal for Vienna Antiquarian Final
He was accused by the Vienna public prosecutor's office of engaging in National Socialist reactivation because he had offered several works from the Nazi era that originated from the estate of historian Brigitte Hamann. As confirmed by the spokesperson of the regional court, Christina Salzborn, to the APA, the public prosecutor's office waived legal remedies.
From the perspective of the public prosecutor's office, Schaden had violated the Prohibition Act because he should have offered the propaganda material available in the webshop with a detailed explanation or appropriate preparation and not publicly without comment. However, the 78-year-old was not accused of having a right-wing extremist mindset by the prosecution. "He is not a Nazi. He is not a right-wing extremist. He is a recognized bookseller and antiquarian," emphasized the prosecutor at the beginning of the trial last Thursday, at the end of which he was unanimously acquitted by the eight-member jury. Schaden's clientele includes university institutions, historians, doctoral candidates, and media professionals.
Upper Austrian Policeman Initiated the Trial
Schaden had acquired a total of 14,000 books from the estate of the historian Brigitte Hamann, who passed away in 2016 and became widely known with her work "Hitler's Vienna." For her research purposes, Hamann had incorporated a wealth of books from the Nazi era into her library. Of these, 60 ended up with Schaden after Hamann's death and subsequently in his webshop. The law enforcement authorities became aware of this when an Upper Austrian policeman discovered the title "How the Ostmark Experienced Its Liberation," considered questionable, in the webshop during an investigation. The Wels public prosecutor's office initiated investigative steps against Schaden, and the Vienna prosecution took over the further proceedings.
Schaden described during the trial that he had indeed thoroughly checked to whom he sold the works. Additionally, some of the works are publicly accessible in Austrian libraries.
(APA/Red)
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