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Austrian MP hails 'good side' of Nazism

Updated: 10/Nov/2006 15:35

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VIENNA (AFP)--- A newly-elected right-wing member of the Austrian parliament stirred up a political storm earlier this week Wednesday after saying that Nazism had "its good side."

Calls for the resignation of Wolfgang Zanger of the Freedom Party (FPoe) and threats of legal action followed his remarks on a television programme late Tuesday.

"Of course Nazism had its good sides, only we don’t want to see them today," Zanger said, adding that Adolf Hitler had "given hope" to people in depressed Germany.

The head of the conservative OeVP party, Reinhold Lopatka, said the remarks were "scandalous", Social Democrat parliamentary speaker Barbara Prammer said they were unacceptable and the Greens called on Zanger to step down.

The head of the Young Socialists, Torsten Engelage, said legal action was being taken for alleged "minimising" of Nazism.

Zanger, 37, entered parliament following the elections of October 1 which gave the FPOe more than 11 percent of the vote and 21 seats, three more than in 2002.

His party said Wednesday he would not be resigning.

Austria, which remains ambivalent over its annexation by Nazi Germany in 1938, regularly sees rows over pro-Nazi statements by politicians. Last year an extreme-right senator deplored the "brutal persecution" of Austrian Nazis after World War II, and another questioned the existence of gas chambers to eliminate Jews.