VIENNA - An Austrian town revoked the honorary citizenship of Adolf Hitler on Tuesday in an effort to sever any links with the Nazi dictator's legacy ahead of a 900-year civic anniversary and following a media uproar.
The town council in the western town of Amstetten, 150 km (95 miles) from Vienna, approved by a large majority a motion that the title be declared null and void, the Austrian Press Agency (APA) quoted Mayor Herbert Katzengruber as saying.
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console.log("catid body is "+catID);if(catID==120){document.getElementsByClassName("divConnatix")[0].style.display ="none";var script = document.createElement('script'); script.src = 'https://player.anyclip.com/anyclip-widget/lre-widget/prod/v1/src/lre.js'; script.setAttribute('pubname','jpostcom'); script.setAttribute('widgetname','0011r00001lcD1i_12258'); document.getElementsByClassName('divAnyClip')[0].appendChild(script);}else if(catID!=69 && catID!=2){ document.getElementsByClassName("divConnatix")[0].style.display ="none"; var script = document.createElement('script'); script.src = 'https://static.vidazoo.com/basev/vwpt.js'; script.setAttribute('data-widget-id','60fd6becf6393400049e6535'); document.getElementsByClassName('divVidazoo')[0].appendChild(script); }In an emotional debate, two council members of the right-wing Freedom Party abstained, contending that the vote was unnecessary because the title ended with Hitler's death in 1945.
A Green Party representative started the debate, saying a town historian had revealed the honorary citizenship in 1996. Hitler, an Austrian, visited Amstetten in 1939 and was granted the title, Greens councillor Raphael Lueger told APA.